Pokemon Platinum: Another Side
by slybill
Summary: Not everyone who embarks on a Pokémon training journey aims for the sole goal of being a Pokémon Master. This is the case of two not-so-normal trainers who start their travels through the Sinnoh Region. As the plot surrounding their very existence unravels, we shall soon see that there are two sides to every story and Sinnoh must once again face tribulation of Galactic proportions.
1. Volume 1: Devils N Pink!

Author's Corner.

Slybill: _I'm baaaaack~_ Missed me, guys? No? Well I'm here anyway and I don't plan on disappearing any time soon! And here's my latest project to get me going! You know the drill; new characters will start filling for me soon so let's jump in to our prologue!

Happy reading, people and remember, R&R if you like it!

**DISCLAIMER: I DON'T OWN THE POKÉMON**** ANIME AND POK****É**MON PLATINUM.

* * *

**POKÉMON PLATINUM: ANOTHER SIDE.**

VOLUME 1: DEVILS 'N' PINK.


	2. PROLOGUE: PACT UNDER THE PINK, BLUE SKY!

**PROLOGUE: PACT UNDER THE PINK, BLUE SKY.**

* * *

_It all began in the Hall of Origin._

Someone panted hard. Another shrugged off the various dents in his majestic bladed wings. Both brushed the blood and sweat from their brows before giving the enemy ahead a joint glare.

Said enemy, sporting spiked-up bluish-green hair in a style vaguely reminding one of a crown, cast his narrow eyes down on his opponents with a look that, though fierce, sent no chills down the young man's spine.

"You still stand up to fight?" he asked, baritone voice judgemental yet expectant. "I am above Arceus now and therefore I am a god. Do you not see the futility in your efforts, Lucas?"

Dark eyes narrowing further, the young hero raised his finger towards the white nothingness that was Arceus.

"Empoleon!" he barked. "Drill Peck!"

"Useless," the man stated and Arceus's numerous arms shot out as if making ready to refute Lucas's efforts. With a proud, deep shriek, the might Emperor Pokémon leapt into action once more, spinning his muscular frame like a drill through each arm and drawing close enough to unleash a Hydro Pump without any orders needed. As expected, Arceus's Protect flashed to life like a divine wall, repelling the attack.

"Steel Wing!" Lucas ordered. Wings aglow and splayed like fat cleavers, his Pokémon tore at the shield at a speed so rapid that his glowing arms were a blur.

Their opponent was anything but disturbed and made to impale him on a sneaking arm. However, Empoleon's bulk did no justice to his speed and the man atop the god suffered a twitch of the brow as Arceus broke its own screen, giving the penguin just enough of an opening to send torrents of ice cold water into the green and red eye within the massive dark grey clouds of aura.

Blinded momentarily, Arceus's arms flew in all directions and though a master swordspenguin, Lucas knew his partner was tiring fast. Down to his last Pokémon, the stakes were higher than the heavens and harder than hard but he knew he could not fail after coming this far. After all, he had friends to protect and a world to save.

Therefore, he made his history-making decision right there and then.

"Empoleon, Mist!" he called sharply. Somersaulting backwards to make space, the Pokémon parted his beak and spewed as much cold gas onto the wrecked battlefield as possible.

"Blinding us is futile, boy," the enemy said matter-of-factly as Arceus's arms withdrew and began to spin like the blades of a copter. One arm in position, the Alpha Pokémon stabbed forward into the fading mist, piercing steel and eliciting a shrill cry from its target. Stabbed through the wing, Empoleon winced and slashed off the tentacle before sinking to one knee with his intact arm shielding the damaged other. Without a shred of doubt, the Pokémon was at his limit as the cold claws of unconsciousness beckoned to his senses.

However, the man atop the god noticed a defiant grin playing across Empoleon's golden beak. He had a good guess of what that curled beak entailed and raised a hand, blocking the fist of his adversary.

"Two men cannot stand atop a god. One must fall, one way or the other," he growled. "And you honestly expected me to fall for a cheap trick like that?"

"Of course not," Lucas spat, grabbing the taller man's arm and giving a sharp pull. His opponent failed to budge but that was all that was needed to propel the young man forward, close enough and hard enough to jam foreheads with the man. Rattled, both stumbled back and the man fingered the bloody bruise across his forehead.

_A human, a BOY, dares to defy and injure me? _

"Arceus, let The Gate of Judgement open upon these damned souls."

Eyes widened as Arceus gave a magnificent cry and glowed brilliantly. From behind, its tail reared up and smacked the ground hard, creating a tremendous quake and opening up a black portal behind it. The screams of damned souls coupled with the thunderous chorus of chains made for quite the spectacle and Empoleon staggered backwards from the mere power of the ominous winds tearing forth from the gate.

Raising his hand, the man atop the god glared down at the boy atop the god and, for the first time in his life, gave a cruel smirk.

"You lose, Lucas Zoom. And now, I shall pronounce Judgement upon you. Fall into the fiery depths of the Distortion World and let your soul rot there for all eternity! And then, watch as I, Cyrus Akagi, build a new world! One without strife or spirit where-"

Lucas smiled despite the intimidating tirade.

Because in his fit of power-drunkenness, Cyrus didn't know he was standing right in front of the gate itself.

"And furthermore-"

"You talk too much."

Cyrus never saw the boy dash forward and by the time he heard the disparaging comment, he was in mid-air, falling back-first into the black abyss. What he didn't expect was that Lucas himself had tackled him into it, hence the manic laugh that occurred when he realised that both were falling into eternal destruction.

"Ha! This is why the world must be rid of spirit! How does one sacrifice himself for the sake of strangers connected by trifle bonds like blood and emotions?!" he roared, both in sadistic glee and raw anger. He had not anticipated these ugly emotions springing up and infecting his pure soul. Now he knew that even he was capable of this ugly strife the world was washed in.

And this strife doubled when he saw a grin on the raven-haired trainer's face.

"Who said I was dying?" he asked and, to Cyrus's horror, a blue wing grabbed Lucas and drew him back into the world of the living. Now entirely exhausted after using that Aerial Ace, Empoleon and his trainer felt the force of gravity come back to the Hall and as they fell, Lucas caught sight of Cyrus struggling feverishly against Judgement's pull.

"MY PLANS DID NOT ENTAIL THIS!" he screamed madly as ghostly chains knotted across his legs. "I? A MAN HIGHER THAN GOD? DAMNED FOR ETERNITY?! IMPOSSIBLE! I WILL NOT LOSE! TO YOU OR ANY MORTAL BEINGS IN THIS STRIFE-RIDDEN WORLD!"

Blue eyes met with dark yellow eyes as decomposing Banette and rotten Gengar seized every inch of Cyrus that they could lay their maggot-ridden hands on.

One pair filled with rage.

The other pair brimmed with an air of business-like finality.

And Cyrus's face darkened as the gates began to close.

"I will be back," he growled, tone as listless as before as the darkness closed around him. "So till then, a curse upon you, Lucas Zoom. Enjoy your victory while it's still sweet. But know that despair will follow and bring you down so far into ruin that not even worms will feast on your corpse. AS LONG AS THOSE CURSED ORBS ARE IN YOUR POSSESSION, I. WILL. BE. **BACK!**"

In response, Lucas blew Cyrus an air-kiss and the ensuing roar of resurged anger was cut short by a thunderous clap as the Gates slammed shut, confining Cyrus, the world's destruction and the last of Team Galactic to the cold darkness of the Distortion World.

Forever.

Lucas didn't know he had landed until his back tickled from the feathery down of Arceus's wide back.

No longer corrupted, the entity laid the heroes down and reared to full height with the air of supreme authority back in its eyes.

Grateful eyes, as the smiling Lucas could see.

No words of thanks were exchanged (or even needed) as it turned its back on them and ascended. But Lucas and Empoleon knew no doubt that they were heroes.

"We did it, man," he whispered, smile shaky.

Empoleon nodded, eyes gooey.

And both grabbed each other in a hug before letting off pathetic wails of relief (and pain). For they had won and the world was safe.

Or at least, so they had thought.

* * *

_Years later..._

"Do you really have to go?"

"I must, Dawn. I can't let what happened years ago happen again."

Sighing, Dawn averted her gaze to the nearest window. Twinleaf town was dusted in pink, blue and yellow colours of dawn and Lucas would've normally made a joke of it like he did every morning to greet her smiling face.

Instead, his back was turned to her with his eyes looking towards the door and towards the world. She didn't even have to guess how hard it was for him to utter those simple yet devastating words.

_"I'm leaving."_

Despite the way her heart itched to implode, the woman with nay-blue hair smiled softly and folded her arms. "Ren'll be mad."

"I guessed as much. When this is over, I am so punched," he replied, carrying just the subtlest of a chuckle. Taking his trench-coat off the coat rack, the Champion slung the iconic cloth over his broad shoulders and flashed her a smile. "I won't hold it against you if you and the kids end up hating me-"

"Don't talk like that!" she cut in, closing the space between them and burying her head in his back. "I told you, didn't I? I love you no matter what! I'm...just not sure about Coliot and Nina...but..." She let go and stepped back. "Go. Do what you have to do, hero."

All Lucas could think about there and then was how strong the frail woman was. Despite the circumstances she still smiled that brilliant smile that never failed to warm him up from the inside out. That also made him curse his fate as he nodded and opened the door.

His luck may have been cursed as well as he was met with the sight of curious red-eyed, raven-haired toddlers.

"Appi Berfday, Papa!" the older twin cried, throwing himself at his father's legs. His younger twin sister wasn't much of a talker yet so she did the next best thing and hugged his other leg, giggling and smiling up at him with her big red eyes.

"Coliot! Nina! You should be in bed," Dawn chided, just as surprised as her husband to see them up and running at this time of the morning.

"Papa's special day!" the boy complained, gripping Lucas's legs tighter. "Cowiot wuv Papa so Cowiot stay up a' night to tell him appi berfday!"

Something splashed on the child's crown and his puzzled red eyes looked up before widening. "Papa...sad?"

Arceus, it was just too much for Lucas! Somewhere in the back of his mind, he knew he'd hate himself for this. But the head always came first before the heart and that was why he gently pried them off and handed Nina to her mother.

Coliot blinked in confusion as the man began to walk. "Papa?" He began to tug on his mother's dress. "Mama, where Papa go? Papa's special day!"

Dawn didn't answer. She was far too engaged in keeping her composure in check.

"P...Papa..."

Lucas stopped short. Had his face been turned towards them, they would've seen the tear-stained and stung expression on his face upon hearing his little girl's hoarse voice.

"No weave...Papa..."

The man took a shaky breath and crammed the wide-brimmed hat over his messy black hair before taking hold of the door knob and opening it. Outside, his faithful Empoleon stared back into the man's hooded eyes. Having spent years with his "brother", Lucas could tell what that look in Empoleon's cerulean gaze meant.

_Is this all right?_

Swallowing, he nodded and blocked out the silent pleas flowing through his ears. This was for his family and no way in hell was he not going to finish what he had started. That was why he spared no furtive glances to the three pairs of onlooking eyes piercing his back like Skarmory feathers.

All he did was close the door behind him and walk. Walk, walk, walk. Walk until Twinleaf Town, his family and, for all he knew, the best moments of his life, was far from sight and reach.

And he prayed that someday, they would meet again.

* * *

_Years later..._

The eldest child, Ren, came back from work that day and was greeted with loud explosions coming from the living room, accompanied by excited cheers belonging to the youngster bouncing on the sofa.

"Piff, what'd I say about watching my battles!" he chided, snatching the remote and turning off the TV with a press of a button. "And it's too loud. Jeez, you know this stuff isn't good for Mom-"

"But Mom's already awake," Coliot whined before narrowing his eyes. "And don't call me Piff!"

"Why? It's your name, isn't it?" Ren teased, knowing full well how utterly stupid the name sounded to the boy.

"Whatever! Gimme the remote!"

"I think you've had enough TV."

"**MOM! REN WON'T-**"

A hand clamped tightly over the brat's mouth and Ren rushed his brother outside before letting go and grabbing the sides of his big head tightly.

"Oi, brat. I told you Mom doesn't like noise!" he growled with a ridiculous-looking vein popping on his forehead in annoyance. "Now pipe down or I'll have Torterra crush your pea-brain under her foot."

"Ha! Like that big lug can even do that! Mom says I've got a head stronger than a Rampardos so your fat turtle ain't got nothing on me, girl-face!"

"G-girl face?!" Ren spluttered incredulously before grinning angrily. "Oh, I see! You're just jealous because I've got shinier hair than you!"

"News flash, _onee_-chan, WE'VE GOT THE SAME HAIR COLOUR!"

"I HAVE A HIME CUT AND I'M SINNOH'S SEXIEST BREEDER IN THAT "BREEDER MONTHLY" MAGAZINE RIGHT NOW!"

"I HAVE SPIKY HAIR! GIRLS LOVE SPIKY HAIR BECAUSE IT'S SEXY!"

"WHERE DID YOU LEARN THAT WORD?!"

"**YOU**, IDIOT!"

"I'M AN IDIOT?!"

"WHAT KINDA GUY GOES FROM ELITE FOUR TO _**BREEDER**_? AN** IDIOT**!"

"WHY YOU LITTLE-"

Like a silent blade, dainty fingers gripped their ears and the boys were stunned to see straight-faced Nina giving them her bored version of a death glare.

"Mom says you should keep it down," she stated, voice so much hoarser than a normal girl's that she would've perpetually whispered. Despite the emptiness in her voice however, both boys knew she meant business and 17 year old Ren huffed before rearing to full height as his 8 year old sister let go of his stinging ear. From behind, the fat pet Gible snickered at Coliot's sulking expression.

"C'mon Coliot. Lunch is ready."

More an order than a request (though with her monotone voice, they could never really tell), she grabbed his thin arm and began to drag him back inside.

"Busted," Ren whispered immaturely, only to blink in confusion as Nina stopped, kicked him in the shin and dragged him back in as well.

Minutes later, Ren was relaying his time at the breeding centre in Solaceon Town to Dawn while Coliot let the Starly on his head pick at the remains of his lunch.

"And guess what Mom," Ren added, giving Coliot a sly glance. "I think Chelsea's into me."

Spoon falling from his hand, Coliot glared hatefully at his brother while Dawn sweatdropped. Chelsea was Ren's co-worker at the Day Care and even Nina knew Coliot harboured a crush on the much older woman.

"She said she liked my hair~" he added, flicking his locks for emphasis at his simmering sibling.

"At least you set that aside for the Pokemon. Arceus knows what would've happened if you chased girls instead of focusing on your job. Plus, you shouldn't tease Piff like that," Dawn remarked, amused at her children's antics.

"You knew?!" Coliot gasped. "And quit calling me Piff, Mom!"

"Of course I did. You always come back red-faced whenever Ren takes you out to the ranch," Dawn laughed, wiping her wet hands on her apron before leaving the sink. "Plus, what's wrong with your name?"

The boy turned up his nose. "It's silly."

"Oh Coliot. "_Piff" i_s an awesome and manly name!"

Like a bullet, Nina's ultra-brief snicker cut through Coliot's ego. All three kids begged to differ but Mother's word was law so Coliot gave up arguing on that topic.

"Thanks for lunch, Mom. The food was delicious," Nina said after a time had passed. Noting how she only ever showed noticeable emotion to their mother, Coliot watched his sister quietly drop her plate in the sink and pick up another voluminous book on Sinnoh history.

_Tch, boring,_ he inwardly remarked and placed a hand on his chin. Saturday afternoons in Twinleaf were far too mundane for him. No one else seemed to complain and it made life so seemingly stagnant that he sometimes felt he was the only living person in the town. Heck, if he concentrated hard enough, it almost felt like everyone disappeared off the face of the earth.

That's why he couldn't wait until the day he became a Pokemon trainer! Then he and Starly would travel the world and find more exciting places. They'd battle and grow so strong that even the Champion would be blown far away by their sheer awesomeness!

_Champion...Dad..._

For some inexplicable reason, Nina put down her book and stared into space with a question hanging on her lips.

"Mom, when's Dad coming home?"

Even the loud Starly halted as silence descended heavily on the kitchen.

It was times like this that Coliot and Ren mentally facepalmed. For all her smarts and maturity, Nina was still a tactless eight year old. A tactless and hopeful one to say the least.

"Well..." Dawn scratched her cheek in thought before turning back to the sink. "Soon. What made you pop that up, sweetie?"

"I miss him," she replied matter-of-factly, as if that was the most logical reason in the world. Hence her confusion when Ren coughed uncomfortably and walked out.

Dawn smiled wryly, eyeing the wedding band on her finger. "Yeah...we all do."

Starly suddenly felt the head it was perched upon simmer and instinctively knew that Coliot was angry. Stomping towards the girl, he grabbed her wrist and pulled her into the living room before turning to face her with an angry scowl.

"Why'd you bring that up? You brainless or something?" he whispered, earning a little tilt of the head from his sister.

"No, I'm not. But I miss Dad."

"Well you don't have to tell us! Can't you see you're hurting Mom?!" he hissed.

Lowering her eyes, she squeezed the Piplup plushie in her arms tighter. "I'm sorry...but I wanna see Dad too-"

"Stop." Coliot turned away, eyes hidden beneath his bangs. "Stop doing this, Nina. That idiot left us and made Mom cry. So stop thinking about him and be happier already!"

"But-"

"We don't need _him_!" he barked, unable to keep his voice down at that last word. Turning, he grabbed the stunned girl and hugged her tightly.

"We've got Ren, Mom, Starly and even the stupid Gible. We're happy, Nina. So we don't need some meathead who abandoned us for no reason! So…quit thinking about him and making yourself sad or…or else I'll be sad too and then stupid Ren will start trying to cheer us up with his horrible jokes."

"Hey!" came Ren's retort from upstairs. It was blissfully ignored.

Red eyes glimmering with tears, the girl nodded into the embrace and lowered her head. "I'm sorry."

"Don't be." Her brother let go and threw the grin she was accustomed too. "The only person who should be sorry is that bone-head when I punch his face in! Now let's go battle outside. I'm sure I'll beat you and Gible this time!"

Smiling, the girl allowed herself to be pulled outside with Gible and Starly in tow.

Unknown to them, Dawn had been listening in from the adjoining kitchen and her grip on the medicine bottle in her shaky hand tightened as a tear slid down her smiling face.

"I guess we had this coming, Lucas."

* * *

_Hours later..._

"Mom! I got an urgent call from Professor Rowan!" Ren called, rushing down the stairs with his medical case in hand and a trench coat slung over his shoulders. "Apparently, a badly injured Piplup washed up at the beach in Sandgem and he wants me to assist the Pokemon Centre!"

"I hope it's alright," she prayed, taking the hat off the coat rack and handing it to him as he passed her by. "Do your best, 'kay?"

"Of course I will!" he replied, giving her a quick peck on the cheek before placing the hat in its rightful position atop his head. "Don't forget to take your meds tonight. I'll be late so tell Piff that bedtime story's on hold. And remember, don't stress yourself. Call me if anything comes up."

"No need to worry," she replied with a wink. "I'll be fine, Ren. You don't have to fuss over me because of a little sickness."

Ren loved and also hated how his mother liked to downplay the bad things life threw her way. But he would chide on her terminal illness later.

"I'm off!" he called, whipping out a Pokeball as soon as he got outside. A bright flash later, he and Staraptor were in the air and Dawn bade them good luck. On the way, he passed by his mock-battling siblings and whistled, attracting their attention. "Watch me, Nina! Onii-chan's going to save another pokemon!"

"Do your best," she bade, waving so cutely that Ren wanted to squeeze the little thing in a hug. The thought vanished when he laid eyes on a scowling Coliot.

"You're butting into our battle, girl-face! Hurry up and get lost! And save that pokemon while you're at it, you girly doctor!"

Ren was tempted to come down there and beat some respect into the boy's head. Instead, he blew a raspberry and said, "At least I get the Nurses! Later!"

"Tch!" was all Coliot replied as he returned to the more important matter at hand. Finding out what beat Dragon-type Pokemon despite learning it back in Trainer School the _**other** **day**_.

* * *

_4:00 PM_

From a hill overlooking Twinleaf Town, two mysterious figures clad in white clothes looked down on the quiet town.

One, a lean man with frosty blue hair and an even frostier smile, brought a hand over his eyes to shield his face from the spring sun. "I never thought the South would be this hot at this time of year. Can't we come back later?"

"It's not that hot," the teenage-looking young man with vermilion hair beside him remarked. "Besides, my buddies need this heat for the performance. Too bad this town's got a sleepy audience. However, that'll change pretty soon. So you just look for those orbs in Lucas's possession."

Nodding, the blue-haired man whistled and from behind, a Jynx materialised. The younger man grimaced as she flashed him a hideous smile.

"Be careful not to get us caught in the crossfire, Mercury."

Mercury smiled as his colleague disappeared with the Jynx. "So long as you're careful to hurry the hell up, Pluto."

* * *

_5:10 PM_

Someone knocked on the door.

"Oh, first time they're coming home on their own," she remarked, hurrying towards the door and opening it. "What took you so long-"

She stopped. The shape before her wasn't one she readily recognised. In fact, she had never seen this person in her life.

"Can I help you?" she asked, tilting her head curiously.

"Ah, forgive me," he stated in a jocular manner. Actually, his features reminded her of a clown. Odd, jelled back hair, long limbs, lanky appearance and eyes that looked so narrow they were perpetually squinting. But it was his smile that chilled her to the bone. "I believe this is the Zoom residence."

Dawn tilted her head. "And what of it?"

The clownish man's narrowed eyes peeled just a crack wider in tune to his broadening smile. "Ah, good to hear. My name is Pluto."

Blue eyes widened.

"And I would very much like to meet your husband."

* * *

_5:12 PM_

Mercury grinned and extended his arms like a choir master. At his feet lay several empty pokeballs and he took a deep breath before opening his big orange eyes.

"Show time!" he cried, voice echoing all over Twinleaf. In perfect harmony, several explosions blew the quietness to smithereens.

* * *

Fire. Everywhere.

Personally, Coliot had always been fascinated by flames. Red and orange had always been his favourite colours.

But as a familiar neighbour roasted before his very eyes on the chaotic street, he couldn't help but change his long-standing opinions. Dragging his thoroughly frightened sister away, he continued down the burning streets with a shrieking Starly flying overhead and a fat Gible struggling to keep up.

"Fire!" a man cried, running down the town's centre. "Somebody get help-"

Coliot shielded his eyes as a burning telephone pole collapsed atop the man, silencing him.

"Hurry!" he called, pulling Nina behind him and running as fast as he could.

Suddenly, Gible leapt up and tackled them both out of the way of an exploding building.

Coliot leapt to his feet and stared at the wreckage. That could have been them under that burning debris. "T-thanks."

Gible nodded and continued to run forward with them following closely behind. Overhead, Starly returned and perched atop Nina's head, chirping with distressed tones.

"Piff, do you think-"

"No!" Coliot barked, rounding a bend. "There's no way our house could've been hit. We not as close to the town so-"

Multiple screams rendered him dumb as the blazing house behind them collapsed upon its trapped residents.

"There's no way it'll reach our home!" he screamed, more to himself than to his sister. "No way!"

They passed an incinerated Floatzel.

"No way!"

A younger child wailed as her dead mother's mangled hand stuck out from piles of debris.

"Definitely not!"

Coliot slipped and fell head first into a pool of red. Looking up, he swallowed his scream upon recognising the charred corpse of another neighbour. "It just isn't true!"

Dashing madly, he and Nina circled around the next house and passed the little grove of trees, all of which were burning brightly.

"She's alright," he chanted feverishly and Nina swallowed. "We'll just turn the corner and our house will be…"

Coliot gasped and grit his teeth before running straight into the burning house through the charred down backdoor.

He went rock still upon finding his mother bleeding on the floor with an ice shard the size of his leg buried in her chest.

"MOM!" Nina screamed, rushing past him and dropping to her knees beside the woman. To their relief, she was breathing albeit raggedly.

"N...ina...?" Dawn's hazy blue eyes widened slightly as a racking cough shook her frame. To their horror, globs of blood dyed Nina's yellow shirt a dirty red. "R...un...Hur-"

"I think it's too late for that," said a frosty voice appearing from behind the flames. Coliot spun around and locked eyes with the gangly smiler and his blood-stained Jynx. It didn't take long before he put two and two together. "My my, what lovely kids you have, Mrs Zoom. Had I known your blood would draw them here, I would've had Jynxie stab you sooner."

"You..." Neither the man's size nor the Jynx's blood-curdling smile deterred Coliot from dashing forward with a fist raised and blind rage in his red eyes. "I'll kill you!"

And as expected, Pluto drew his long leg back and crashed it so hard into the child's ribs that Nina herself almost felt the resounding crack emanating from her twin brother's side. Flying back from whence he came, the dazed Coliot landed heavily beside his horrified sister and screamed in agony.

"Kids these days don't even know their own limits," Pluto tutted, striding up to Nina who could do nothing but stare in shock. "Now none of this would've happened had your daddy not upped and left but here's your chance to redeem him, cutie. Did Daddy mention anything about an Orb or two?"

Dawn coughed again, drawing his attention and Pluto was frankly surprised to see her struggling to get up.

"I...told you...The orbs aren't...here-"

Another kick silenced her and Nina screamed again as her mother dropped, rock still.

"He wasn't talking to you, woman," Mercury growled, crouching beside Nina. "Now be a good little bitch and tell me where that bastard Lucas went and hid our Orbs."

Nina, of course, had no idea what these men were talking about. Even if she did, the amount of blood and violence her young eyes had been exposed to rendered her almost catatonic. As a result, Mercury narrowed his eyes upon getting silence in return.

"Oi Pluto! I think she's deaf!" he barked, grabbing her hair and drawing her close to his scrutinising face. "And I doubt she knows the answer too!"

Disappointed, the blue-haired man sighed. "Oh well. Kill them and let's be on our way."

"YAY!" Mercury cheered, grabbing her throat.

It was Nina's scream that set Coliot off and with a cry, he rammed himself right into Mercury's side.

He was holding a knife.

"AAH! DAMMIT!" the stunned redhead yelled, dropping Nina and staggering back while clutching the weapon embedded into him, all the way to the hilt.

"Gible, Rock Smash!" Coliot yelled and from underneath, Gible burst through the floorboards and socked Jynx in the chin. Pluto was once again shocked to see Jynx fly into the ceiling from the force of the attack and concluded that the Pokemon must've belonged to their, thankfully absent, older brother. "Starly, Quick Attack!"

Pluto ceased his thinking to duck, narrowly avoiding razor-sharp talons from the Starling Pokémon. However, he wasn't so lucky the next few rounds and was sharply raked across the face and neck.

"Don't you ever touch my sister again, bonehead!" the boy spat and turned to his rigid sister, grabbing her shoulders and giving her a rough shake. "Nina, I don't care how but you've gotta get Mom outta here and fast! We'll hold these bozos off for as long as we can so hurry!"

Snapping out, the girl blinked before shaking her head. "No! You'll get hurt-"

"I don't care!" Coliot snapped. "These guys hurt Mom and I'm gonna make 'em pay! So just get Mom out now. I'm sure Ren's on his way and I want him to see you guys safe!"

"But-"

BANG!

Both children gasped and turned. Coliot's eyes widened in sheer horror. Starly, or at least its scattered remains, fell to the floor in a bloody heap, having taken a shot from Pluto's smoking handgun.

"That." His smile twitched. "Was annoying as hell."

Even Coliot went weak-kneed as he took in the gory sight of his friend and would-be starter. He barely got a cry out before something sharp sank into his side.

Red eyes, dropping, the child choked on air as Mercury twisted the knife and kicked Coliot away.

"That bastard almost got my lungs," the redhead wheezed, raising the heavily-stained knife as a crying Nina rushed to her dying brother and Gible stood protectively ahead of them. "I'm gonna rip off your arms, brat!"

"Calm yourself, Mercury," Pluto advised, pocketing his pistol. "There's nothing useful to Team Galactic here. Let's go."

"But-"

"The grunts are going to sweep this town clean anyway. Those kids and their whore mother are as good as dead by the time Ren gets back."

Breathing hard, Mercury eyed the bleeding wound in his side and glared hatefully at the gasping Coliot. His rage turned sadistic upon seeing the worried look in Nina's eyes and in one stride, Gible was kicked out of the way and Nina's neck was in his hands once more.

Pluto arched a brow. "What're you-"

"Shut up! They're as good as dead anyway so I might as well have some fun!" Mercury barked, raising the knife to Nina's eyes. "It's too bad we can't keep the girl. She looks like she'll be a real beauty when she grows up."

"Mercury, we don't have the time for your deranged sense of lust," Pluto sighed as Nina's eyes went as big as saucers.

"I don't work that way, paedophile," Mercury spat and grinned. "I like girls alright. They look even better mutilated!"

Coliot watched as Mercury forced the struggling girl against the floor and pinned her hands above her head.

_**Move**..._ His mind ordered though his rapidly drained strength failed him.

Nina screamed as a laughing Mercury plunged the knife into her arm, eliciting a spray of blood. In her teary field of vision, Pluto had, meanwhile, raised his gun to her brother's head and blocked an ear to reduce the bang that would end his life.

**_Move!_** Her mind cried, not wanting to lose someone she considered her other half.

Having frozen the Gible in its tracks, Jynx stopped before their unmoving mother and both children's eyes widened as the demon generated another spike of ice.

Mercury stopped short as his hands began to burn.

Pluto narrowed his eyes as the building began to tremble.

The twins raised their mad red eyes, equally filled with murderous fury.

And the unwelcome intruders received their well-sought answer.

**"DON'T TOUCH MY MOM!**" they screamed in unison and the house was enveloped in black and purplish-pink light.

* * *

Ruby-red tears aroused Dawn from her pained slumber and she looked into the twin faces of her young children.

"M-mommy," Nina wailed, wrapping her hands around the gravely injured woman's neck and crying. "I'm sorry!"

Confused, Dawn turned to her son who merely stared back with his hair over his eyes, hooding his expression.

"We...beat 'em," he replied to her silent question. "But we broke your promise..."

"...Oh..." was her faint reply before a weak hand stroked Nina's silky black hair. "It's...my fault...I couldn't...protect you guys..."

"No! Don't beat yourself up over it, Mom!" Coliot snapped, grabbing her limp hand. "Now quit talking! We're getting you to a hospital!"

The woman chuckled lightly and coughed. "You...make it sound like I'm...dying..."

This only intensified Nina's wails and she tightened her hold as if trying to hold her mother's fleeting soul back.

"Don't...cry..." Dawn soothed, drawing her daughter close. "No need...to worry...Mommy's strong...More importantly, you should leave..."

"NO!" Coliot cried, shaking her head. "I don't wanna! Darn it, where's that idiot Ren when you need him?!"

"Piff...Please listen..."

Coliot didn't even have the heart to criticize her for using that name. Hell, he'd give his arm to hear that name from her everyday again. But even he knew that with the rate at which things were going, his peaceful life would be grinding to a sad halt.

Dawn drew him close and placed her dry lips to his ear. "You must know by now...how special you are...Nina has no idea of what happened...but you do...Now...you're going to forget about this past life..."

"I will not!" he barked.

"Hide your powers well...and please...don't let the sun go down on your rage..."

"Mom! Stop talking!"

"Also...don't blame your father...Please, forgive him...He meant well for you two..."

Blood erupted from her lips and Nina's cries reduced to sobs as she buried herself into whatever warmth she could salvage from her dying mother's bosom.

"And never...ever...leave your sister. Under no circumstances should you guys be separated. You may not understand now but you should…eventually. Sooner or later, you may find life getting increasingly...difficult...for you as you grow up. I want you to be strong. Brave the storms and stay alive. But most of all, keep your humanity...Promise me that...?"

She shakily raised her pinkie and Coliot ground his teeth before entwining his own in hers. "D-don't leave me...Mom..."

"Hey...I thought...Pokemon Masters didn't cry?C'mon guys...Smile...for me..."

Kids that they were, they still honoured her request and earned a shaky chuckle from Dawn at their trembling expressions. Laying her hands on their heads, she drew them close and her blue eyes began to lose their familiar light. Unknown to the weeping children, the rings on her fingers glowed a bright pink and grey hue before dimming till they were nothing but dull metal on her fingers.

_Lucas...I'm going on ahead..._

"Mommy..." Nina whimpered.

"I'm...here...guys..."

"Mom..." Coliot whispered.

"Always...forever and ever..."

"Mom..." they whispered in unison.

"I...love...you..."

"_Gi-ble_..." Gible whined.

Silence.

"Darn it..." Coliot murmured, biting down on his lip so hard that it bled. He didn't even pay any attention to the pinkish steam streaming out of the injury in his side. Nina merely held on to the corpse, silent.

A moment later, she stood up holding her bloodstained arm and turned away from the body.

"Nina?" Coliot paused.

Her eyes reflected no light whatsoever and the look she was giving him chilled him to the marrow. But what pierced his heart most was how lost and far away her countenance seemed.

"Those men were wearing white," she uttered, voice even more emotionless than before. It almost felt like Coliot was hearing from a reanimated corpse. "They had G's on their chest." Her fist tightened. "One of them said something about coming from Team Galactic."

"Nina."

Slowly, she began to walk and almost left had Coliot not seized her by the wrist. She didn't even give him a glance.

"Nina, where're you going?"

"Anywhere...nowhere...I don't know anymore."

"That doesn't make any sense. C'mon, we have to get to Sandgem Town and find...huh?" The boy pressed a palm to his throbbing forehead. "...Who...was in Sandgem Town...?"

Nina didn't answer. She merely withdrew from his grasp and picked up Gible before spinning on her heel and walking. Coliot made to follow when she stopped and turned to him.

"Don't follow me," she ordered before continuing towards the burning town.

"Hey, you can't just leave me!" he retorted, making to grab her when, to his utter shock, Gible turned and snarled at him. Nevertheless he stalked after her saying, "I promised Mom I'd protect you and stay with you, Nina! And I won't let you leave like this-"

Pain exploded across his chest as something black rammed into him, winding Coliot completely and sending him flying back into the debris of the collapsed house. Coughing, his hazy eyes followed the red tipped tentacle and widened upon seeing the vile appendage dangling from Nina's back.

She turned and her teary-red eyes let him know that whatever bonds she had with her family was now severed completely.

"Don't. Follow. Me."

And so she walked. Walked and walked and walked until Twinleaf Town, her family and, for all she knew, the best moments of her life, were far from sight and reach.

* * *

And Coliot could do nothing but watch.

Eventually, it dawned on him that he had just broken not one but two of his mother's promises, both of which were now fading from his hazy mind as he felt his memories gradually corrode.

Nina was gone. The fated twins were separated.

And a foreign hatred was enveloping his grieving heart.

Slowly, his grip on the ground hardened and his breathing hitched as his sense of reason found the sole entity responsible for bringing his life to an abrupt crash. "Team...Galactic..."

Nina glared at the horizon, tinged with the pink and blue of dawn.

"I will become a trainer, Gible."

"Just you watch, you Galactic bastards!" Coliot suddenly cried, raising his angry gaze to the sky. "I'll be the strongest trainer there ever was!"

"I know that I'll run into them again. But this time, I'll be ready."

"I'll turn your flames to nothing, you hear me?! Even if I have to raise a team of Water pokemon!"

"So if we see any one of them again..."

"When I get my hands on you!"

Both children raised their hands to the rising sun as if sealing their pact.

"I'll **kill** them. Every single one of 'em!"

* * *

Just like his fading memories, Coliot's consciousness began to go dark and he withdrew the outstretched hand before placing it to his heart.

"And I'll find you, Nina. I'm not gonna give up until then. So wait for me and stay alive till then."

_Because the next time we meet..._

* * *

Nina spared the decrepit town in the distance a glance and tightened her hold on Gible.

"We'll be rivals."

* * *

**POKÉMON** **PLATINUM: ANOTHER SIDE.**

THE ADVENTURE STARTS NOW!


	3. Thug Bashers and Talking, Rabid Monkeys!

Author's Corner.

Slybill: A few important notices before you dive in. This story is partly game-verse with sprinkles of anime-verse references and some of my own world mechanics, resulting in a rather wonky character pool and various age liberties (some people may be older, younger or vampires, meaning they'll stay the same as their normal game-selves). And from here on out, Coliot will be mostly referred to as **Piff**.

* * *

**ACT I.**

Route 202.

If there was one route Terry Lattner hated, it was this specific route he had been traversing. Yes, the creatures here were laughably weak but that didn't stop them from randomly springing out of nowhere to scare the young aide for the country's resident Pokémon Professor, Daniel Rowan, grandson of Professor Jacob Rowan (who had passed away over a year ago). Worse still, he was by no means a strong trainer. Hell, the only Pokémon he had on him was the wild Magikarp he had been sent to retrieve from Jubilife's Pokémon Center.

"The hell are you spacing out for, brat?!"

BAM.

Yes, Terry had another big reason for avoiding this particular route, home to thugs and bandits who regularly ambushed starting trainers and emptied the contents of their bag-packs, pockets and, in most occasions, their Pokéballs. Poor Terry had even heard that a Lass was raped months ago on this very route.

Luckily, he was a guy, had no particularly-valuable possessions and owned a wild Magikarp.

"Damn, all the brat's got is a stupid Magikarp!" the cueball of a leader snapped, pressing a foot against the floored teenager's chest. "Well what d'you have to say for wasting our time, kid?"

Terry wiped the blood streaming from his nose and remained rooted to the spot, unable to talk back to the intimidating biker. Mostly because of the dangerous-looking knife one of his mooks dangled before his eyes.

"Oi, da boss is talking to you, shithead!" a guy barked, booting his head. "Got something to say? Spit it out!"

"Yes sir!" he replied, utterly terrified. "I'm sorry for once again not having anything on me, sir!"

"Good. Then don't come back here again," the leader sneered, lifting his boot. "And we'll keep the Magikarp. It'll make a good stew anyway."

Now _that_ was enough to bring up some semblance of rebellion in the brunette teen. "I-I'm sorry but I cannot let you do that, sir!"

"Oh?" The boot was back on his chest, threatening to break his ribs. "And what makes you think you can stop us? You're nothing but a brat!" He stamped hard on Terry's chest for emphasis and the boy nearly screamed himself hoarse as the man's spiked soles left pin-prick punctures on his chest, staining his new lab coat and inner vest with patches of blood.

"Let's teach this little shit a lesson, boys; no one messes with Boss G," the leader said with a cruel laugh as two of his men held Terry up by the arms and one raised the knife to his green eyes. "Bet there's some wacky Psychic out there who'd pay a pretty penny for green eyes since they're so hard to come by in Sinnoh. Don't worry, kid. Least you'll get your cut of the profit, 0% that is."

The boy screamed, struggled and kicked to no avail as they held him down to gouge out his eye.

_Somebody, just kill me_, he inwardly prayed, fearfully expecting the hellish pain that would normally ensue.

Instead, a fist collided with the knife-wielder's face so hard that the man's neck not only snapped, but his body was also hurled into the air and collided with the rest of his cronies.

"What the fuck!" Boss G gasped as the ones holding Terry had their heads smashed against the dirt in unison. From his teary line of vision, the startled teen could make out the shape of a boy with wild raven hair. He was much shorter than Terry but as he raised his head, the metaphorical flames in his purple eyes made him seem as big as a titan.

"H-holy shit!" one of the men cried as the newcomer straightened up and exhaled. "Boss, i-it's Cole!"

"Damn, I thought we lost him back in Jubilife!" Boss G stuttered, hopping onto his bike. "Whatever! We've got more guys now so do your thing and beat him to a pulp, boys!"

"Yeah! Let's get him!" they roared, all lunging towards him. Terry's eyes widened as they all drew knives and other dangerous weapons. This boy was dead, no matter how he looked at it! How in Arceus's name was he going to beat them with nothing but his bare fists?!

"You wanna fight?" _Cole_ growled, pulling his headband lower and casting them a glance that made even Terry shrink back. Grinning toothily, Cole made the come-get-me gesture and dove right into the fray. "Bring it on, boneheads!"

To say the boy was a dragon would've been an understatement as he sent full grown men to hell and back. All Terry could see and hear was the sight of bloodied, unconscious bodies flying and pained screams everywhere. Even when they cut him, the newcomer just went madder with his attacks and in no time, Boss G was the only one left in the forest of unconscious thugs. The panting newcomer wiped the blood from his head and turned his mad eyes to the man, unnerving him with his animalistic gaze.

"F-fucking m-monster!" he cried, revving up the engine and making to zoom off. "I already said I'd pay you your money!"

The tires rolled and Terry was sure that would've been the last of Boss G. However, the man was going nowhere as, to their amazement, Cole had grabbed the back of the motorcycle and was effectively holding it in place with a strength Terry had only seen in Machamp.

Cole dragged the roaring bike back, dug his foot into the ground for traction and took in a deep breath. "WHERE THE HELL ARE YOU GOING, PUNK?!"

A second later, G and his bike were _airborne _as Cole had literally flung his capture into the air. The leader fell with a crash and felt the force of a shoe kiss his chest repeatedly.

"Bastard!" Cole roared with each stamp. "You promised!" BAM "To pay me!" BAM "My money!" BAM! "LAST WEEK!"

The last stomp had G spewing blood and Terry almost felt compelled to stop Cole before he killed the man. Luckily, the boy ceased his ruthless attack and spat some blood before wiping his chin and taking out the wallet sticking out of the thug's leather jacket. Counting the exact amount of money and 3000 more, he carelessly tossed the wallet onto G's face and grinned.

"Pleasure doing business with ya," he sneered and sharply turned to the slowly-retreating boy behind him. "Hey!"

"Don't hurt me, please!" Terry screamed, shielding his face as Cole began to draw closer. "I'm sorry! Please forgive me! I had nothing to do with these guys I swear!" He clammed up as the ravenette took his arm, pulled him to his feet and handed him the 3000 extra pokédollars. "...Eh?"

"This is yours, right?" Cole asked, tapping the money. "You look like a starter trainer and they usually have 3000 on 'em before these guys take their money."

For a smart kid, Terry had some difficulty comprehending the situation. It wasn't until four seconds later that he realised what the boy had been implying and shook his head.

"I'm sorry but it's not mine. I'm just an aide, not a trainer and I didn't bring any money with me..."

"Oh?" Cole tilted his head before shrugging. "Whatever. Keep it. You'll probably need it for your wounds."

"W-wait," Terry said as he started off. "You...saved me?"

"Duh!" Cole deadpanned. "I came for my money, of course, but helping you out was first thing on my list. Punks like these guys should rot somewhere for the rest of their lives but I guess beating them into comas is good once in a while too."

"O-oh...Magikarp!" Terry cried, scurrying over to the dropped Pokéball and releasing the pokemon within. Sighing in relief as the flopping Magikarp appeared unharmed, he petted its scaly head and stiffened as he caught Cole staring at it.

"Is that what I think it is?"

"I told you, I'm not a trainer," Terry stuttered defensively as he tightened his grip on the pokemon. "A-and it's not like I own this guy o-or anything! I mean, come on, it's a Magikarp for crying out loud-"

"Cool! A Magikarp!" Cole cried, all sparkly-eyed as he awed at the silly-looking fish in the brunette's arms. "And it's soooo pretty..."

Terry sweatdropped. "Okay..."

"Did you know that Magikarp used to leap over waterfalls using just Splash?" Cole asked, eyes virtually aglow with admiration. "Back then, they were sooooo powerful! And then when they evolve, Arceus, Gyarados have got to be the most amazing water-types out there but Magikarp will always be my number one Pokémon ever! When I go on my journey, I'm gonna catch a Magikarp one day and together, we shall conquer Sinnoh and then, the world!"

Even the Magikarp stopped its floundering to stare at the boy who, by now, was giving off sparkles at the undoubtedly impossible thought. Now that he looked at Cole closely, Terry guessed that his saviour was no more than 11 and even wondered how exactly he came in contact with these thugs in the first place. More importantly, how could Cole move with those injuries? There were gashes on his arms, legs, sides and even his chest yet here he stood chattering on about Magikarp and their successful contribution to the circle of life.

"Oh hell, look at the time!" Cole exclaimed mid-rant and held out a hand. "From that fancy lab-coat, you're Professor Rowan's assistant, right? The exit's that way. If you want, I can take you there-"

Terry shook his head. "I'm alright. Besides, you should get your wounds checked!"

"Oh, this?" Cole gave the blood on his arm a lick and smirked. "It's nothing. They'll close soon enough."

"No they won't!" Terry cut in, taking his arm. "We need to rush you to a hospital pronto!"

Surprised, the boy let himself get dragged out of the forest and soon enough they were on the hill overlooking the beach town of Sandgem.

"Thanks for helping me by the way," Terry added and smiled gratefully. "Y-you...look like a scary person but I get a feeling that you're a good guy. My name's Terry and if you want, I can get the Professor to give you a Pokémon."

"Really?!"

The brunette nodded. "But till then, it's the hospital for you, Cole."

"I said I'm okay," the ravenette sighed and flashed a grin once more. "And my real name's Piff!"

Terry arched a brow and glanced at him. "Huh?"

"Coliot Piff Z. Rosewood!" his saviour declared, tugging on his blue head band. "Remember that, Terry! Because I'm gonna be the greatest Water-type trainer ever!"

* * *

Sandgem General Hospital.

"Greatest Water-type trainer, my ass!"

Piff hissed as a fist boxed the top of his head. "What the hell, Mom?!"

"What did I say about fighting, Piff?!" the orange-haired woman roared, executing a rather well-placed headlock on his bandaged head. With fire in her dark-crimson eyes, Zoey Rosewood tightened her grip and ignored the pleas from the sweatdropping nurse and the onlooking Terry. "Last time I heard, dead little boys don't become trainers, dammit!"

"Shut up! I'm not a kid anymore, dammit! And your mannish muscles are choking me!"

Sighing, Zoey let go and crossed her arms as Piff rubbed his sore neck. "1: I'm glad you admire my lean physique but I am by no means muscular. 2: Even I worry too, kid."

Like a scolded child, the ravenette huffed and turned his nose up. "Sorry. But you always said it's good to help the weak and pathetic."

Tears rolled down a smiling Terry's face.

"That doesn't mean you go about actively risking your own neck to save the helpless and completely-incapable-of-saving-themselves," Zoey replied. "Oh! No offence, Peter!"

"It's Terry," the lamenting boy corrected as more tears streamed down in comical waterfalls.

Mother and child fell silent for a time before a small grin slowly stretched across Zoey's face. "But you beat 'em, right?"

"To hell and back," Piff replied and blushed a bit as she ruffled his hair.

"Don't do that again, okay? Even if I'm not your blood mother, I'd still get pretty anxious if I heard you landed in a hospital."

"Okay," he replied. Satisfied, she turned to Terry and offered a hand.

"Thanks for helping Piff out. He didn't scare you or anything, did he?"

"Err, no. Actually, I'm grateful to him," Terry replied, shaking her hand nervously. "It's just so weird...to think he's the child of Sinnoh's best coordinator."

"A real lady's man, aren't ya?" she laughed, earning a stutter from him. "Don't worry. I'm as normal as normal can be, right, Piff?"

"Yeah, when Mamoswine fly-"

Zoey raised a flaming fist. "Pardon?"

"I mean, of course you are, Mom!" he replied, fearful of her small but deadly fists.

Nodding, she turned and headed off towards the door. "I'll be back late tonight, Piff. But I've got something to tell you when you get home, 'kay?"

"Yup! I'll wait for you, Mom!" Piff declared, earning a warm smile from Zoey as she stopped at the door.

_Mom, huh?_ Her fingers withdrew from the knob as she gave him a parting glance. "And get those IV's outta your system, boy! You've still got my parcels to deliver!"

With that, she kicked the door down and departed, leaving a stunned nurse and a jaw-hanging Terry in her wake. Laughing, Piff ripped out the IV needles and sat up, to the nurse's horror.

"You shouldn't be moving, Piff!" she cautioned in concern, making to force him back into lying position. She stopped however as he held up a hand and pulled on his jacket.

"I told you, I'm fine. Look." He raised an arm and eyes widened as they saw a neat scar where his injury lay. The same went for most of his shallower cuts and the deeper wounds had nearly scabbed over completely. All he had further needed was a couple of band-aids and in no time, he and the still shell-shocked Terry were standing at the entrance to the hospital.

"I'll be going then!" Piff chirped. "And thanks for the offer on helping me get a Pokémon. I'm not sure Mom'll approve but I'm sure I can get her to say yes...eventually."

The teen could only nod, dazed. He yelped as Piff patted his back. "Um...thanks for helping me again."

"I told you, don't worry about it! Later, Terry!"

And then he was gone. Terry blinked twice then three more times before looking at the Pokéball in his hands. "Did...did I just make a friend, Magikarp?"

No response, as expected. However, he felt the compelling urge to grin as he recalled the craziness of the entire day. Now he knew that the world was much stranger than he had thought it to be but never in his life had he expected to run into a Magikarp-obsessed superhuman boy and his top-coordinator foster mother. And Arceus, were they crazy!

"I...guess I'd better get you to the Lab now," he murmured, rubbing the nape of his neck. "Professor Rowan's probably gonna have a fit when he sees me. I'll be looking forward to that day, Piff. When you receive your starter, that is."

* * *

Jubilife City.

Zoey strolled into the kitchen and found Piff busily making dinner with the help of her Gallade. "What're we having this time, chef?"

"Lasagne!" he replied, taking out a baking tray. "The Tamato-laced kind since you like spicy food."

The woman cocked a brow. "Oh? And what's the occasion?"

"Well, now that you asked~" He spun around with a creepy-rendition of the puppy-dog eyes. "I'm just sooooo happy to have an awesome mother like you. One that will let her hard-working and well-behaved son go on a Pokémon journey-"

"Again with the journey-routine," she sighed, rubbing her forehead. "C'mon, Piff. I told you you're not ready yet."

His smile dropped. "No fair! Everyone else is going at ten and I'm eleven! Why won't you let me go on a training journey?!"

Zoey pouted. "Because I'll miss my cute, little boy."

"Be serious, Mom!"

"Okay then. How many ten and eleven year olds have been turning up missing or dead in the past few years? Oh I forgot, you don't read newspapers," she replied picking up a magazine and flipping to its Pokémon-fashion pages. "You've gotta grow up a bit. Get ready to challenge the world with a more mature mindset, you know?"

"So I'll go when I'm 40? No thanks!" he snapped, slamming a hand on the kitchen counter and earning a shifty glance from Gallade. A rightly justified glance because his display of annoyance just left a sizeable crack in the marble counter. "C'mon, mom! I can take care of myself! I'm strong and you know it. Wait, is this because I talked with those bad guys again? I told you they-"

"Owed you. I'm well aware of that one time you mindlessly gave money to loitering and clearly-suspicious men twice your age, thinking they'd pay you back. Rest assured, I'll get you for that later, more so that you endangered yourself when you headed off to a pokemon-infested route to find them." She laid the magazine down with a stern expression on her face. "Piff, I know how strong you are. And that's what scares me."

Piff froze and the ladle fell from his fingers. "S...scared? Why?"

The woman looked back at her magazine though Gallade knew that her mind was far off from it. "As much as it pains me to say this, you're dangerous, Coliot. You know how strong you are. What if you suddenly lost it and raged all over the place? I know how frustrating battles and journeys can be especially when you find yourself on a losing streak. I've seen kids throw temper tantrums right in the contest hall during Grand Festivals and I know enough gym leaders who've commented on one or two brats attacking _them_ just because they defended their badges. Sportsmanship aside, you'll need to tame that anger and strength in your blood, kid. I'll only consent to letting you go if you can prove to me how much self-control you're willing to muster. I won't let my son accidentally **kill** someone."

The ravenette's clenched fist loosened. "But...I..."

"Piff," she stated, folding up the magazine and dumping it on the table. "Why d'you wanna go so early?"

"I wanna make a difference, dammit!" he cried, tears welling up in his eyes as he raised his head to face her. "In school, everyone treats me like some sort of beast! Even when I try to help, I just end up breaking things and making people hate me! No one thinks for one second that I'm good! No one likes me, Mom...Everyday, they're always staring at me. Watching for when I get mad and hurt somebody or do something stupid...and it's...suffocating. I wanna show them that I'm capable of doing something good! I want them to see that No-good Piff can actually become someone others can look up to, someone they can trust...someone friendly and kind, not a monster. And the sooner I do it, the better."

Zoey lowered her gaze as he sniffled. Gallade knew she was doing her best not to waver, especially after seeing the look in his eyes. If there was one thing the Pokémon knew, it was that Zoey was weak to tears. The woman could go from a complete tomboy to an uncertain ninny within seconds of viewing any waterworks and the fact that she hadn't done anything yet amazed him.

"And...I don't know why but..." Piff grabbed his chest and squeezed a bit. "Sometimes, my heart begins to hurt whenever I try to think back to the days before I met you. I wanna remember everything. There's another reason I wanted to become a trainer and I'm sure it's at the tip of my tongue each time I try to remember who my real mom and dad were or if I had brothers and sisters. I want to know who I really am and put this pain in my chest to sleep for good. Only then...can I truly fit into this life."

Arms wrapped around him and drew him into an embrace.

"You really know how to hit where it hurts, you know that?" Zoey half-whispered jokingly. "I can tell how unhappy you've been, kid. I know how much you want to be free and that's why I made this decision. In the long-run, it'll be for your own good, trust me on that. And eventually, I know you'll find out who you truly are. But." The woman crouched to his level and used her hands to wipe the tears from his cheeks. "If there's one thing I know, it's that you're neither a beast nor no good. You're Coliot P. Z. Rosewood, a wonderful little boy whose heart is always in the right place. And I'm always proud to have you as my son. Always."

Slowly, she palmed the purple contacts off his eyes and stared into his lustrous blood-red eyes. "You'll make a great person someday, Piff. And even if the world hates you, know that I've got your back. I just need you to grow up a bit. That's what I wanted to tell you earlier. So till then, be patient, okay?"

Slowly, he nodded and returned the embrace, burying his puffy eyes into her wine-coloured vest. Eventually, Gallade let out a cough and Piff gasped, tearing himself off his foster mother and rushing to the oven. "Whoa, good call, Gallade! This almost got burnt!"

Eventually, dinner was served and the trio gladly tucked in, happy that the day ended on a good note (and the food tasted so darn good).

Later that night as Piff snoozed in his room, Zoey quietly walked in and watched him sleep.

_Dawn...he's suffering, you know?_ she inwardly remarked and stroked the deep black bangs from his face.

* * *

_Mom, I hurt someone today..._

_Mom, my chest hurts..._

_I can't sleep, Mom...Something's watching me again..._

_What am I, Mom? Am I really a devil? _

_I just don't fit in anywhere, Mom..._

_Mom?_

_Are you scared of me too, mom?_

* * *

"2 years," Zoey whispered to herself. "Just give me two more years and I swear you'll be on your way, Coliot. That's what I was really gonna tell you. I love you...son."

* * *

_2 years later..._

Rowan Labs, Sandgem Town.

"I can't believe it's been two years," Terry sighed, dropping the paperwork on his boss's desk. "And yet it still feels nice sending trainers off with new Pokémon."

"It's the bonus that comes with the job," the young professor, Daniel Rowan, explained, filing his papers and leaning back into his chair. "That's what grandfather said, anyway. I guess he was right; seeing new generations come and go spurs us on to keep searching for new heights with our Pokémon partners. The trainers essentially help with that too."

Wiping the jet black hair from his face, he turned to the metallic tray where two red and white spheres lay.

"Also, we're giving the opportunity to legally get rid of the...difficult starters on hand."

Terry sweatdropped. "Cynical as always, sir..."

"That damned Piplup gave me hell," Daniel sighed, selecting a Pokéball and raising it to his silvery-grey eyes. "I mean, she was grateful to grandfather for saving her when she washed up at the beach 5 years ago but the second I stepped in, she put up this rebellious attitude and gave me the cold shoulder on almost every occasion. Like a spoiled princess or something. Whoever picked her is in for a time, I presume."

"The girl seemed capable of handling her," Terry explained, thinking back to the 14 year old who had stepped in earlier that day. _Nina Zoom, eh? She reminds me a bit of someone..._

"And now we have this little guy," Daniel remarked as the ball in his hand rattled. "Violent, rude and extremely over-confident. Just where did we find this Chimchar, Terrence?"

"The rangers said they caught him actively burning down a forest on Route 210 where fighting types normally reside. He utterly resisted to rehabilitation and no preserves were safe so they dropped him off with me, sir," the teen replied. He could still remember the excruciating scratches and burns the monkey from hell gave him a year ago. "If memory serves, he was the only pokemon not to get picked last year."

"Hopefully, we'll find someone who's willing to save us- I mean- adopt this little one," the professor murmured cynically. "The only one I really like out of the set is Turtwig. She's a responsible little one with a good sense of morals, even if she did end up bullied by those two. Sort of like you, Terrence."

_So effectively, we're both doomed to be wimps forever..._ Terry lamented, silently crying waterfalls again.

"Sir, someone is ready to collect a Pokémon," a female aide stated, popping her head into the room. "He passed the interview remarkably well and he's now waiting in the lobby."

"I'll keep my fingers crossed," the professor murmured under his breath and stood up. "Bring the pokemon, Terry."

"Yes, sir!"

...

Terry nearly dropped the tray in surprise. "P-Piff?!"

Standing ahead, the familiar ravenette turned and grinned. "Yo! It's been too long, Pete!"

"It's Terry!" the brunette cried. "A-and, yeah, it's been quite a while, hasn't it? You've grown too."

"Yeah, I'm almost your height!" Piff remarked, eyeing the pokeballs with glee. "Man, I can't believe Mom said yes! Sure it took two years but I'm here, just like I said I would!"

"I take it you two know each other?" Daniel asked, earning a wide-eyed expression from the newcomer.

"Whoa, you're the guy on TV! I'm your biggest fan, Professor!" he chattered excitedly. "Although you don't look so smart off-camera."

A vein bulged on the professor's head. "Glad to hear that." _Hope you get the Chimchar, runt._

"He's the boy who helped me two years ago, sir," Terry explained. "Please don't mind his jumpiness. He may be loud but he's a good guy."

"Aww, thanks buddy!" Piff cooed, patting Terry on the back and almost knocking him over. "So about that Pokémon-"

"Yes, let's cut to the chase, shall we?" Daniel cut in and Terry came forward. "Within these balls are the partners who will follow you on your journey. You can only select one but I assure that any of these two will make it worth your while."

Buttons where clicked and in a shimmering flash of light, two shapes became visible on the shiny floor.

"Turtwig and Chimchar," the professor introduced, gesturing to both while precariously standing a good distance from the seemingly-contemplating Chimchar. "Choose anyone of your choice."

Piff blinked. Once. Twice. Three times. His head automatically snapped towards Terry. "Where's the Piplup?"

"Shoot!" Terry hissed and rubbed the back of his head. "Um...she already got picked by a trainer who came earlier."

The boy blinked again before his eyes gradually widened. "Huh?! But I wanted it!"

"W-well, we couldn't exactly reserve her for you so..." Terry trailed off as Piff's purple eyes narrowed.

"How am I supposed to become the world's greatest water-type trainer if I don't start with a Piplup?" His rhetorical tone had Daniel also narrowing his eyes.

"Young man," he spoke up. "You must understand that life doesn't always go exactly as planned. Even if you start with something other than a water-type, the chances of you catching one later on are higher anyway. It's not like picking something else signifies the end of the world. Now unless you wish to come back earlier next **year**, I suggest you pick one. Preferably now."

Terry half-expected Piff to punch him or at least retort. Instead, the boy simply narrowed his eyes and turned to the two pokemon again.

"Let's make a deal, then. The second I catch a water-type Pokémon, I'm returning the Pokémon I picked."

Daniel begged to differ. "Now look here, you can't just-"

His protest died the second Piff turned, sporting a rather intimidating gangster-face. Sure there was always the option of simply throwing him out but Piff's expression and Terry's story killed the thought before it even surfaced within the professor's head.

Two could play at that game however. Daniel was never the man to back down without a fight anyway.

"Fine."

The aides gasped.

"However." A sly grin came to his features. "You're taking the chimp."

Piff's jaw dropped. "But it's a fire-type! That's the complete opposite of a water Pokémon! At least let me take the Turtwig."

"What's the point when you're returning it anyway, right?" Daniel chuckled. "Take Chimchar. He suits your personality more. I can even stake my life that'll he'll grow on you."

Piff took one look at the Pokémon. The fire monkey bared his yellow teeth and hissed, scary enough to make the Turtwig back away.

"But...it looks like it has rabies..."

"I assure you that _he_ is as healthy and spry as a new-born." The man cautiously gave the Pokémon's head a quick pat. Chimchar nearly bit his finger off. "See, he's just excited."

Piff folded his arms and thought about the idea. On one end, he'd at least have something to start with. On the other end, fire-types sucked against water-types and as such, catching the desired species would be hard.

"Piff, you're tough, remember? So what if you have a fire-type starter? Wouldn't it be much cooler if everyone heard you rustled up tough water-types with only a fire pokemon?" Terry offered hopefully.

"Hmm...that doesn't sound like a bad idea," Piff replied and smirked. "Deal! But The second I catch a tough water-type, this guy goes back to you."

Chimchar hissed as he picked him up and held him to his face.

"Hey there, monkey face. Let's get along, 'kay?"

Piff got a face full of hot spit a split-second later.

In ten minutes, papers were signed, pokéballs changed hands and the spluttering trainer was out the door faster than one could shout "Pokémon!".

"Have fun on your journey, Piff!" Terry called from the safety of the window. "Bye Chimchar! Take good care of your trainer."

"Good riddance- I mean- Enjoy yourselves, Piff, Chimchar!" Daniel bade, also waving a bit too enthusiastically. _And kill each other to your hearts' content while you're at it._

The second Piff had disappeared from sight, the man spun to his aides and pulled out a bottle of champagne. "This calls for a celebration! Today, we have been liberated from those Pokémon's reign of terror!"

"Uhm, sir," Terry piped up. "How are you so sure Piplup and Chimchar won't be returned?"

"Professor's intuition," he replied dismissively and eyed the window. "It's innate but I can feel the likeness between trainers and Pokémon. They'll eventually stick together whether they like it or not. That's the true magic of Pokemon training. And if I'm wrong, I might as well revoke my PhD in Pokémon Psychology."

...

Piff stopped some distance from the town and opened the Pokéball, releasing the Chimchar within. Greeted with another hiss, he crouched to his level and held out a hand.

"Okay, from what I've seen, you're not exactly the friendly type. But it goes without saying that we'll be stuck for a while so I might as well introduce myself. I'm Coliot Rosewood but you can call me Piff."

The monkey snorted, earning a frown from the boy.

"Stupid name, huh?" he mumbled and smiled a little. "I think it's awesome though so get used to it. Also, you need a name as well."

Another hiss ensued.

"Oh come on! Work with me here, will ya?" Piff growled in exasperation. "I can't just call you Chimchar all the time. What if there's, like, four Chimchar in a field and I need to find you? You're getting a name, buddy. How about...um...Bob!"

Chimchar spat at him. Piff wiped his face and glared. "Okay, I think I'll call you Spitty. Really fitting, don't you think?"

The Pokémon glared right back and turned up his nose.

"Fine, fine. The least I can do is give you a cool name."

That perked up the Pokémon's ears and he turned expectantly as Piff racked his brain.

He was sorely disappointed when the boy cried "Blaze!" and Chimchar punched him in the nose before climbing atop his head and pounding him hard with his fists. A fight resulted and concerned passers-by stopped to see the 14 year old desperately trying to wrestle the rabid Chimchar off of his head via rolling, punching and obscenity-spewing. Whatever the case, the screeching Pokémon refused to let go and Piff was very sure he could smell something burning. To his horror, he realised that the murderous monkey was trying to set his hair alight with his tail flame and in no time, he was sprinting for the nearby pond while screaming like a mad man.

With a splash, both he and Chimchar landed in the grimy water and the latter screeched loudly, jumping out faster than a Meowth in a bathtub. Dripping wet, Chimchar frantically shook the water out of his eyes and fur and made ready to run off when a hand shot out of the water and grabbed his leg. Thoroughly soaked, a livid Piff arose from the pond and dangled Chimchar high above the ground with an angry grin on his features.

"You. Little. Bastard," he spat and, to Chimchar's shock, he raised his struggling catch over the pond. "If you hate the name 'Blaze' so much then how about Johnny Soggybottoms? Hilarious, right?"

The Pokémon paused and simply dangled there, staring wide-eyed at Piff who cocked a brow.

"What?"

The next moment had Piff nearly dropping his Pokémon in shock and fright.

For Chimchar opened his mouth and replied in a perfectly human tone, "Actually, it's Firebottoms. Johnny Firebottoms, bitch."


	4. Side Nina: D Dark Ones!

**ACT II**

The world was darker and colder that day than usual. Everything seemed foggy, messy and grimy in her head and had it not been for the smooth claw nestled in her splayed palm, Nina Zoom would've thought she had passed on the night before. Forcing herself into a sitting position on her bed, she brushed long black bangs from her face and exhaled, giving off a smoky black trail from her lips.

"It's thicker today," she murmured, voice frighteningly-hoarse from extensive disuse. Beside her, the Gabite stirred and blinked the sleep from his yellow eyes, yawning and revealing his proud rows of knife-like fangs.

"Good morning, Master."

The words came from the Pokémon's own jaws yet the unperturbed girl merely nodded and fell back into the comfort of her pillow, eyes fluttering closed as the urge to sleep overwhelmed every other sense in her lean body.

"You need to wake up, master," Gabite advised, pulling the sheets off the girl as gently as his claws could manage without actually shredding the material. "You have an appointment with The Lady soon and you know how angry she gets when you're too groggy to pay her any attention."

"...Tell the hag to rot."

_I would if I could, but she wouldn't understand me_, Gabite deadpanned. "That won't do. You should know that she's needed to sign that acceptance letter, right? You won't be recognized as an official Sinnohvian trainer otherwise."

Nina rolled her sleepy eyes before waving him off and staggering to the bathroom on the other side. Nodding, he left the room, shut the door behind him and waited like a sentry for his trainer to get done, taking the time to reflect as sunlight seeped into the dark hallway.

_To think she was only just discovering how to talk to Pokémon a year ago_, he mused, closing his eyes as he heard a shower running. _You'd think she had that ability from birth...oh wait, technically speaking, she did. Even so, her powers seem to be awakening much faster than expected. Just being around her makes my skin go raw and cold. Dawn's ring wasn't enough, I suppose. And now, that lady further complicates the matter._

His mouth curved downwards. _Nina turns 14 today. I wonder if she still remembers that promise she made on that cursed day. I surely hope not. Her mentality is cloudy enough as it is. Damn it. Too bad I'm so attached to her. If she does turn around and veer off Ren's expectations, I'll have no choice but to follow like the faithful partner I chose to be._

The door creaked open and Gabite accepted the lifeless rub on his scaly head as his trainer walked past him. Following beside her, he set aside the tension in his heart to take in her physical appearance. 7 years did wonders to that tiny, frail girl he used to know. Nina Zoom looked rather tall now, maybe even taller for her age. The short messy mop of hair on her head had extended quite far down her back now and her figure was finally starting to even out, making her more of a woman than most fourteen-year-olds he saw nowadays.

All in all, she was pretty. In an odd way though, if you liked pale skin and blank eyes. In fact, that facial expression of hers was the only thing the dragon-type could recognize. Blank. Very blank. Smiles weren't often seen on the detached Nina's face, a bit of a dampener though Gabite didn't mind. He wasn't the jumpy sort either.

Not like Piff-

No, back-up. Thoughts like that were forbidden. Gabite reminded himself of that with a shake of the head though in the back of his mind, he couldn't help but be curious of the other twin's well-being. Yes, he might've given him the cold-shoulder and a snarl to boot back then but that was for the boy's own good. Nina probably would've killed him given her state of mind, anyway.

"Gabite, we're here."

The Pokémon stopped his thinking as they came to a large metal door. Nina placed her palm on the scanner and waited for the pale green light to run across it before withdrawing as the heavy door slid open.

She couldn't help but flinch as the area they stepped into flooded with bright lights. Murmuring to herself, the girl pulled up her hood and looked to the platform above. "You know I don't do well with all this light, woman."

"It was necessary to drive away any thoughts of sleep," came the curt reply as a magenta-haired woman leaned on the railing and peered down at the duo. Her poison-purple eyes glinted at Nina's look of annoyance. "Good morning, daughter. Did you sleep well?"

"Of course. Who wouldn't sleep well after being operated on for hours yesterday while being pumped with tankfuls of anaesthetic?" Nina replied sarcastically, pocketing her hands and tapping her foot impatiently against the tiled floor. "My healing system works just fine so I don't see the point in testing it for limits."

"Watch your tone, child," the Lady replied, her pet Skuntank glaring down at Gabite. "Seven years and you still don't show an ounce of gratitude to me for saving your ratty life."

Nina chose to keep silent, looking to the side and letting the woman believe she won, for now.

"You're fourteen today and as agreed, I've signed the letter of acceptance. You may go down to Sandgem Town to collect your starter."

_Finally,_ Nina inwardly remarked, letting out a breath. "So does that mean you're done with me?"

As anticipated, The Lady laughed cruelly and narrowed her eyes. "I have conditions, you know. Nothing is ever that simple."

_Douchebag_, Gabite grumbled as Nina raised her head.

"I thought the conditions were clear already. I let you mess my body up for your experiments and in return, you sign that acceptance letter and let me be on my way. Forever," Nina stated, sensing a ploy.

"Too bad. The rule's changed, brat." The woman tapped the button beside her and the heavy door slammed shut as a big screen flashed to life on the wall beside them. Gabite went on high-alert as several intimidating Pokémon appeared around each railing, glaring down on the two targets below. Calm as ever, Nina let her gaze fall on the screen and took in the countless words and figures before her eyes.

They were values from the experiment. Values she understood all too well as they coagulated into one big word.

Red eyes widened ever so slightly.

"Do you see just how precious you are, Nina?" the woman barked, pacing the platform. "These experiments showed me just what I need to fulfill my destiny! And you are the key, child!"

A dark brow arched sarcastically. "Oh? And what is this dream of yours, _Mother_?"

The hiss after that last word went blissfully ignored as the Lady smiled. "To resurrect Team Galactic. And you, Nina, are that key."

Gabite cursed. "So in the end, that bitch had no intention of letting us go. More importantly..." His gaze flickered to Nina who, though seemingly-placid, felt rigid. A unanimous chill ran down every Pokémon's spine as she shifted her weight to one foot and stared up at the ceiling.

"Galactic, huh?" she murmured and grated her teeth. "That name…brings back so many memories."

Her Pokémon shot her an incredulous look which Nina returned with a light smirk and a flash of a hand.

Dawn's ring was on her pinkie. Shit. _So she remembers!_

"Hey, mom," Nina called, flicking the ring off and tossing it up and down. "Why'd you sign that letter if you weren't going to let me go?"

"I will let you go!" The woman laughed again. "But you'll merely gather Pokémon for Team Galactic's benefit. You'll be my weapon, dearest daughter. Aren't you proud?"

The ring fell back into Nina's palm and didn't rise. Another smoky exhalation from Nina had even her guardian scowling. It didn't take long for everyone there to realize that the girl was actually laughing.

"What's so funny?"

The ravenette's laughter devolved into giggles as she grabbed her sides. "It's...it's just so hilariously-sad, really. Here I was, wondering when I'd get started on that promise of my mine when the people I want to destroy virtually offer themselves on a platter."

The woman blinked. "Eh?"

_I'll _**_kill _**_them. Every single one of 'em!_

The giggling finally stopped and the enemies were met with a mad wide, red-eyed glare from the girl. "What I'm saying is-" The ring was raised and a toothy grin nearly split Nina's face into two. "You're dead, woman!"

A ring flicked from a finger doesn't normally go very far. However, The Lady watched wide-eyed as it blew Skuntank's brains out like a bullet, ricocheted off the wall and passed through several other Pokémon in the large hall. A few seconds later, the material was back in Nina's hand and she toyed with the item-turned-weapon with a detached look back on her face though Gabite knew that she was reveling in The Lady's shock.

"Y-You never told me you could do that!"

"I might've held my strength back a bit," Nina replied, spinning it around and flicking it again, letting it randomly zip across the hall and pierce through a Machoke's chest. The woman cursed and roared orders for the remaining Pokémon to seize her. Gabite leapt into action, unleashing his own moves against them. Their opponent was forced to watch as he used her own rigorous training against her, besting the Pokémon and coating the walls with layers of flesh and blood.

The Lady's expression worsened. "Y-you bitch! Aren't you the least bit grateful to me?! I took you in, scrawny trash that you were, and turned you into the weapon you are now! I honed your powers, Nina! Therefore, you are my possession! You cannot turn against me-"

Her rant was cut short as the screen on the wall beside her was flung into the platform, resulting in a massive crash and clouds of smoke. Luckily, The Lady was mostly unhurt. Unluckily, this turned out to be a lie as she couldn't feel anything from her waist down.

"I always wanted to have you below me. Looking up to you made my neck hurt," Nina's eerie tone whispered through the smoke and the woman would've moved had her body not been pinned by the weight of debris and the massive screen. "Did you honestly believe I'd blindly say yes to you?"

"All Pokémon within the vicinity, assemble!" the woman cried helplessly and received the body of her dead Skuntank in return, flung before her by the bloodstained Gabite. Someone blew a smoky breath from beside her and she yelped upon seeing Nina's blank eyes affixed to her shaky purple ones. "W-why? You weren't supposed to be this strong for another 2 years!"

"I guess I might've cheated a little," Nina replied, dusting her skirt. "See, I recently discovered that my breath poisons things. I can control the amount now but I can't suppress it for long. If I hold it in for too long and suddenly release it in one go, every living thing around me is guaranteed to be poisoned. Even Poison-types. Oh, but Gabite isn't affected because he's a ground-type. I was yet to test it on Steel-types but-" A dead Bronzor clattered to the ground behind her, bluish-black liquid trailing from its hollow eye sockets. "Oh well. I did tell you to invest in ground-types, mom."

"You little...Even if you leave now, Team Galactic will find you! I'm not the only revivalist so your sorry life will be a guaranteed hell, brat!"

Nina shrugged. "I'll just kill 'em all before it happens. But I have to get to Sandgem Town before that. In the meantime, I did say I'd get started on that promise of mine."

Her smile was terrifying and The Lady stiffened before putting up a defiant front. "You're making a big mistake, Nina. I wouldn't do this to my mother and I did care for you after all. I never mistreated you, did I? Hey, I'll even let you rule the world with me! How does that sound? We'll be the perfect mother-daughter comb-"

"I'd love to. Really, I would," Nina butted in, patting her guardian's cheek. "But I can't love someone who takes out my _kidneys_ and expects me to grow out new ones. Or powders my _ribs. _Or puts me and my Dragon-type Pokémon in Route 217 and expects me to make my way back without any supplies. But more importantly-" The hand dug into her cheek, drawing blood as she slowly applied pressure. "You're not my mother. I can't love you at all, Jupiter, ex-commander of Team Galactic."

The woman named Jupiter swallowed hard. "You won't fit in, monster. You never will. Not with humans or Pokémon. Ever!"

Nina smiled. "I know."

And Gabite snapped Jupiter's neck with a well-placed Crunch, killing her instantly.

The second Jupiter's corpse landed flat on the ground, Nina held the ring to her partner. "In case you were wondering, I just received snippets of my memories a couple of days ago. I remember nicking this ring of my mother when she died. I also know I had a father and two brothers. Unfortunately, their faces and names are still a blank. You look like you know something, Gabite."

The Pokémon lowered his gaze. "It's best you really don't remember anything else."

"Why?"

"…"

Sighing, she inspected the ring once more. "Whatever. I figured it had something to do with my powers a long time ago." Her expression seemed to falter as she read the name engraved on the dull grey ring. "I can't believe I stole this from my dead mother. Now that I think about it, why did I take this? What kind of daughter dishonours her mother's dead body for a ring?"

Her fingers slowly wrapped around the item as the hard expression came back on her face. "Oh well. Let's move, Gabite."

"But what will you do about that letter?" Gabite asked, narrowing his eyes as his trainer walked over to the upturned cabinets and ripped one open. Hearing the riffle of paper, he hurriedly trotted over in time to see her pull out the designated letter and a pen. "Really, Nina? Really?"

"I doubt the Professor at Sandgem even knows The Lady's handwriting, much less recognise her handwriting. Besides, I would've forged it anyway."

"So…you planned on killing Jupiter either way."

"When you put it like that, I do sound evil," Nina said, lips curving a bit as she signed the letter. "We're good to go, Gabite. I've got my stuff packed in the closet so we won't have to worry about supplies."

"And what of this place?" he inquired, giving the dead Skuntank a parting glance. Nina followed his line of sight and simply shrugged.

"Burn it, I guess."

As Skuntank were virtually bags of meat and poisonously-explosive gas, it didn't take long for the warehouse on Jubilife's outskirts to be up in red and yellow flames. Standing outside and taking a breath of clean, fresh air, the girl and her Pokémon turned in the direction of the city with an air of purpose around them.

"Let's get our starter then."

* * *

Sandgem Town.

Nina stared at the shiny red and white sphere placed on her palm before giving her plastic smile to the dark-haired, and oddly-relieved, professor and bowing respectably. "Thank you very much for the Pokémon, sir."

"You're very welcome, Miss Nina," he waved off with a smile of his own. "I just excited to see how far you'll go with this Pokémon." _And even happier someone took her off my hands._

Nodding, she headed for the door, pausing to give the brunette assistant a grateful glance before heading out. Once the lab was out of sight, she let out the breath she was holding and pumped a lazy fist into the air, mouthing "Yes!" to her relatively successful day.

"Now I can start my mission," she murmured to herself, adjusting her bag and making to start off on her journey.

Too bad some idiot bumped into her, sending her into a tangle of limbs and her bag onto the floor. Choking on sand, she hurriedly got up, body instinctively tensed in anticipation.

"Hey! Watch it, will ya!" the boy on the ground grunted, also standing up and dusting his clothes. Raising his head and locking eyes with her, Nina actually felt taken aback by how strikingly similar he looked. Almost like a roughly-cut mirrored version of her.

"I'd say the same for you," she replied coldly, scouring the ground for her stuff. Frankly, she didn't want to stay too long and for some reason, this boy's face annoyed her. He was obviously miffed at her response and attitude but chose to say nothing, lifting a pink satchel off the ground instead and holding it out to her.

"Here. Sorry for bumping into you. I was in a hurry."

"I see." The bag was promptly snatched from his hands and placed in its rightful position across her shoulder. "Later."

"...I'm going to get a Pokémon today."

Oh great, he wanted to chat. Nina paused, grimacing before turning to him with a patient smile. "Good for you then. Have fun on your journey."

"Are you on a journey too?"

Yeah, to raise hell for a certain group responsible for ruining her life. "I suppose-"

"Cool!" he piped up, eyes gleaming. "We can be rivals! You'd better watch out because I'm gonna be the greatest water-type Pokémon Master ever!"

"...Okay?" Maybe he might need to know what type of Pokémon she had received earlier. Nah. His face was annoying enough already and she didn't want to meet him anytime soon. Inwardly, she wondered if he would be picky enough to wait till next year. "Rivals. Nice. I'll be expecting you then."

"Great!" he chirped and grinned. Nina's chest suddenly tightened. "The name's Coliot, but you can call me Piff!"

Now even his name sent her head in for a spin. Piff was a very, very stupid name yet it tugged harder at her heart strings, something she hadn't experienced since Jupiter had literally tugged on the arteries close to her heart on her first experimental experience.

Scratch that thought. It only made her gag whenever she remembered those disturbing events. Shaking the thought out of her head, she finally realised that a hand was held out to her and she apprehensively took it before growing surprised at how strong his grip was.

Or was it how safe yet utterly raw it made her feel for a moment.

"Are you okay?"

Nina raised her head, snapping out of her thoughts again. Since when did she start spacing out like this? She'd better start keeping some distance from this kid. "I'm fine. And I hope we meet again soon. Have fun on your journey, Piff."

Piff grinned and tugged on his headband. "You too, uh…"

"Nina."

"You too, Nina!" he finished, staring into her eyes. For a moment, he seemed puzzled and lost. As if struck by a sudden flashback. To Nina's relief, he smirked again. "You've got really pretty eyes. And you're strong too. We're gonna be great rivals."

She surely hoped not. And she made sure to blot his image out of her mind the second he was out of sight. Nina Zoom had no business with others as long as they weren't needed. Besides, he'd only get hurt if he was found near her at a crucial situation. One of which might be a possible attack from Team Galactic.

With that resolve in mind, she turned her mind in the direction of her next destination. Sandgem had one straight path to Jubilife City, surrounded on all sides by fresh country grass and sparse forests. Having memorised the Town Map she had nicked off Jupiter's office, the ravenette knew that Oreburg was her next stop. Nina wasn't particularly interested in the gym circuit, having gathered more than enough battle experience when her guardian literally shipped her off to Hoenn for brutal training.

"Speaking of training." Finally giving the constant rattling in her bag some attention, Nina dipped her hand into the pink satchel and pulled out a trembling red and white sphere before giving it a toss. Light filled her eyes for a second, eliciting a short hiss from her as she quickly shut them. Oh how she hated sealing things in Pokéballs. The light that accompanied their release was just too intense.

"And what, pray tell, are you squinting at?!" a high-pitched shriek rang in her ears. Nina peeled open a stinging eye and looked down, taking in the tiny penguin-shaped creature standing before her with her little hands on her hips. For a Piplup, she was bigger than the standard size (or maybe it was the head), had a much shinier coat and startling green eyes as opposed to the normal blue of regular Piplup. Nina didn't have time to continue inspecting the Pokémon as the latter suddenly deemed it fit to launch into a tirade.

"How long did you plan on keeping me there, cur?! I'll have you know that I'm claustrophobic and as such, cannot stand being sealed in that…that prison for more than 5 minutes! If you had half the sense you humans claim to possess, you'd realise just how utterly cramped us Pokémon can be-"

It took Nina 0.5 seconds to realise that her chosen starter was a snob. She also wondered if the Piplup was contemplating the futility of her rants given that most humans wouldn't have understood anything she said.

"And furthermore, I have rights! I can have you sued!"

"Oh."

"Oh? OH?! Is that all you have to say?! You don't say "Oh" to me! I AM ATRIA GILGAMESH III, PRINCESS OF THE ROYAL EMPOLEON EMPIRE, HEIRESS TO THE SEAS! AND-"

The Pokémon was swiftly returned back to her confine faster than she even realised it and Nina stared from ball to Pokédex with an inquisitive scowl set on her features.

**"Piplup have a large sense of self-pride. Because of this, a Piplup has a hard time accepting food from humans, and don't like it when someone tries to help them. Piplup is a poor walker, and often falls down. Its pride, however, makes it puff up its chest without a care. It is a skilled swimmer, diving for over ten minutes to hunt,"** the pink machine beeped informatively.

"Makes sense," she hummed, staring at the Pokéball again. "You must have given the Professor a really hard time. No wonder he looked so happy when I picked you."

The item in her hand merely trembled angrily in response. A second later, Nina tossed the ball again and out popped a visibly-pissed Piplup, so pissed that her face was turning a light shade of red.

"What. The hell. WAS THAT?!" she screamed, stamping her golden foot on the ground. "HOW DARE YOU, A MERE TWO-LEGGED MEATBAG, STOP ME IN THE MIDDLE OF MY LECTURE?! WERE YOU LISTENING TO ME WHEN I TOLD YOU WHO I WAS? ATRIA GILGAMESH THE THIRD-"

And she was back in her ball again.

Nina gave the object a dull stare once more, tapping a hand against her chin in thought. "Atria Gilgamesh, eh? Odd name for a Pokémon though I've heard far worse. Too bad she's so talkative and seems like the overly-proud type. That might be a big problem in the long run…Should she be returned?"

Almost immediately, the ball gave a mighty heave and nearly popped out of Nina's hand, startling her a bit. Well, that certainly answered the question. Making up her mind, the girl tossed the ball once more and patiently waited for the light to fade.

She had to make a quick step to the left in order to avoid the torrent of water fired at her.

"Bitch!" Atria screeched, leaping up and firing another round. "First you stop me in the middle of my speech and then you plan to return me to that lifeless dungeon you call a lab? Over my dead body!"

Nina ducked under the next round and rolled away from an oncoming peck before extending a hand and grabbing the penguin by the head mid-tackle. A resounding crack echoed throughout the path as the bones in her hand were literally shattered by the sheer force of Atria's head colliding with her palm. To the latter's surprise, however, the girl didn't stumble backwards. If anything, she had successfully stopped Atria in her tracks and was now holding her to her blank, crimson eyes.

"Put me down, cretin!" Atria snapped, struggling to get out of her vice-like grip. Unfortunately, she realised that not only was Nina _not_ going to let go anytime soon, but also that she was beginning to look ridiculous flailing about like a Magikarp caught on a hook. With an angry sigh, she ceased her futile resistance and chose to hang aimlessly, glaring daggers at her holder.

"Calmed down?" Nina asked, inwardly shocking Atria with the hoarseness of her voice. Coupled with her dead expression and bleeding hand, the Pokémon was starting to get just the least bit creeped out.

"I'd say a lot more if you could understand me properly," she huffed, crossing her stubby arms.

"I heard that."

Atria's eyes widened. "Huh?"

"I said, I heard that," Nina replied, giving her a small shake. "And you're pretty foul for a supposedly royal Pokémon."

Atria stuttered for a bit before turning up her beak. "Well when you spend seven years in some cramped lab with peasant Pokémon, you pick up a few things. Now if you can hear me, put me down!"

"…'Kay."

And Atria promptly suffered a five-foot-and-four-inch drop, landing hard on her rear. Highly certain that she had broken her hip, the Pokémon rounded on Nina with another slew of insults, only to come face to face with a Pokéball.

"I see you hate this," the ravenette remarked, observing the way Atria's beak tightened. "Good. Now listen to me. I'm Nina, your trainer. Let me be the first to tell you that I really don't care about your status or what happens to your well-being."

That…was phenomenally different from what the Piplup expected. "What?!"

"Whether you were a princess or the freaking queen of Sinnoh, I couldn't give a damn," Nina elaborated and crouched to Atria's level. "All you need to know is that you must be at optimum health and disposition to serve me should you be needed. So to put it in human terms, we are **not** friends."

Atria blinked dumbly before feeling her face go red with annoyance. "You…you worm! Whatever happened to all the "let's be friends" and "let's get along!" bullshit you trainers always say?! If what you're saying is true then you've got to be the worst trainer I've ever met!"

"Deal with it," Nina replied with a shrug, looking at her broken hand. Once again, Atria was surprised to see the bruises slowly clearing and she could almost hear the bones resetting in her trainer's hand.

_Freaky,_ she inwardly gasped. _J-just who is this girl?_

"That doesn't mean I hate you or anything," Nina continued in a small voice and held out the Pokéball to Atria. "If we can come to some sort of agreement, I'll do my best to respect as many of your wishes as I possibly can."

"O…kay," Atria said warily and crossed her arms. "And what makes you so sure I would agree to anything you say? I wouldn't even give lowlifes like you a hearing, let alone an agreement."

Nina rolled her eyes. "Because if I so wished, I could tear you to shreds with my bare hands."

"Oh, so it's the intimidation route you're taking, eh?" Atria scoffed. "Well just so you know, I'm at a much higher level than those weaklings given to starting trainers. I can certainly hold my own against a human…even if you're a freak-"

"Don't call me that."

"Why? Because it's true-"

Her retort was silenced by sharp flick on the head from Nina. In a matter of seconds, Atria found herself flying back a great deal and colliding with the ground. Head threatening to split, the Piplup staggered to her feet and glared at the three Ninas staring back at her…with amusement in their eyes!

"Abuse!" she screeched, readying a tackle. "I have a right mind to report you to the Pokémon League for maltreatment!"

Nina didn't need to reply. The upward twitch in the corners of her mouth already made Atria realise the stupidity of her outburst. After all, it's not like they could understand her. Gritting her teeth, she trotted back to Nina and plopped down, finally giving in.

"So? What kind of agreement do you have in mind?" she snapped.

"One that should benefit us both, greatly," Nina replied, also taking a seat on the soft grass. "There's a certain organisation that I want to take down. And I'll need as much help as I can get. If you can help me out, I'll do something for you in return. Till then, we can maintain a somewhat tolerable relationship."

"Oh?" Atria quirked an invisible brow. "Why do you want to take this organisation down?"

Nina looked down at the ring on her hand. "Let's just say that we've got some bad blood between us."

"Revenge, maybe?"

The girl scratched her cheek. "You're quite intuitive. I need that."

"Hmph! Flattery will get you nowhere!" Atria scoffed and kept her eyes glued on the ring. "So…if I help you take down this organisation then I get whatever I want?"

Nina nodded and waited as the Piplup gazed ahead in thought.

Gradually, a small smile came to her beak. "I'm only agreeing because you and I have the same goal."

A dark brow arched. "As in?"

Atria's expression suddenly turned dark. "There is a certain Pokémon…that I wish to kill. He did something unforgivable and it is my duty as a Princess to execute him."

Nina tilted her head before opening her mouth to speak.

"I will not elaborate!" Atria barked, shutting Nina up. "Our relationship is merely built on an agreement, nothing more and nothing less. As such, respect my privacy and I will respect yours."

Silence.

Atria opened her eyes and found two red eyes shimmering with just the slightest bit of admiration. "Too close."

"You're much better than I expected," Nina whispered, peering closer into Atria's startled eyes. "I knew I made the right choice." The girl drew back and stuck out Atria's Pokéball once more. "So do we have a deal, Atria?"

"Normally, I prefer to be addressed by the full name of Atria Gilgamesh III...but Princess Atria will do just fine. We have a deal, human. I look forward to seeing just how far your cold-bloodedness will take us both."

The ball was ceremoniously tossed down the adjoining river and Atria hopped aboard Nina's hooded head. As they turned to the road ahead, both silently contemplated as to what this path of vengeance had in store for them. Neither were very sure if they could actually make it. Hell, Atria was even planning at the back of her mind to ditch Nina should she prove incapable of fulfilling her end of the deal.

But both were sure of one thing though. Nina didn't trust Atria and the Piplup definitely didn't trust her shady trainer. That was why their agreement was definitely going to last, even if it took them a lifetime.

And in a dark corner of Nina's bag, a dismayed Gabite shook his head.


	5. Partners!

**ACT III: PARTNERS.**

* * *

_Sandgem Town._

"Welcome to Sandgem Town's Pokémon Centre!" the boisterous nurse with bright pink hair greeted, warmth and cheer practically oozing off her jumpy countenance. "May I help you, dear?"

"Yes, you can," the scowling boy replied and held up a bundle wrapped in his purple jacket. Curiously enough, the bundle was moving. "I think my Chimchar is broken."

_5 minutes later…_

"She kicked me out!" an annoyed Piff screeched in anguish as he trudged down Route 202.

"With an ugly mug like that, go figure," Johnny scoffed.

"And would you stop talking?!" Piff barked, rounding on the monkey dangling from his outstretched arm. "I swear the Pokédex didn't say anything on you being psychic and I doubt you'd be smart enough to speak!"

"Hey! Fuck you, pineapple-head!" the Chimchar jabbered, flexing his calloused middle fingers. "It ain't my fault you hear Poké-speak! And put my fucking ass down or else my head's gonna explode!"

Remembering the strict warning given to him by the outraged nurse on time-wastage and Pokémon-manhandling, Piff dropped his starter abruptly on the ground. Right on his butt.

"Ow!" Johnny rubbed his rear and straightened up as his trainer crouched down to his level. "The fuck you want now?"

"I was told in Trainer School that trainers can understand their Pokémon if they're close enough. This, however, is ridiculous."

"No shit, Sherlock. If anything, you're the freak here."

Purple eyes narrowing, Piff raised a hand threateningly before sighing and lowering it to his own black locks. "Unreal. I'd have been fine with something like this if I got a water-type. Instead, all I get is a talking monkey who really needs a mouthful of soap."

"Does it look like I got a fucking toothbrush, Einstein?"

"That!" Piff roared, grabbing Johnny by the sides of his head and lifting him high. "That's what I mean! You **swear** too much, dammit!"

"Actually, _'Dammit'_ is also a swear word-"

"And I can't believe Nurse Joy didn't hear you! You even called her a…a…"

"A what? _Ho I'd love to fu-"_

"Yes, that," Piff cut-in and sighed again before closing his eyes. Opening them again, he locked eyes with Johnny and said, "Okay, I can make this work. I wanted this, right? So what if it comes with an annoying Chimchar?"

"I know, right?" Johnny replied in mock-agreement. "Why don't we start over?"

Surprised, Piff nodded reluctantly and set him down. Extending a hand, his Pokémon smiled and tilted his head. "I'm Johnny Firebottoms and I apologise for the crappy intro earlier. No hard feelings, eh?"

The boy cast him a wary glance before shrugging and encasing the hand in his. "Okay…I'm Coliot Piff Rosewood and I guess we can work something out. Sorry for the screaming too. I tend to stress out easily."

"Oh?" Johnny's smile turned coy. "Then this should be fun."

It took Piff three seconds to recall that fire-type Pokémon had high body temperatures. This increased greatly when they were agitated. On some occasions, however, the mischievous ones could raise their body temperatures at will to torture their unlucky victims.

In that space of time, Johnny had somehow managed to _bake_ Piff's palm raw.

Screaming, the trainer fell back, rolled across the ground, blew on his smoking palm and dash off to the nearest water-body, all to Johnny's greater amusement. Cackling, he watched his trainer jump into a mud-hole, scattering dozens of Burmy, Bidoof and the odd Wooper.

"That's it!" Piff screamed, fed up. "I'm taking you back to Sandgem NOW!"

"That'd leave you without a partner, mate," Johnny stated, casually blowing his nails. "Not that I mind or anything. You're incompetent anyway."

His supply of oxygen was promptly cut off as a hand grabbed his neck and drew him towards Piff's face. Given that mud was smeared across his angry brows, Piff didn't look all that intimidating. It was the smile that put Johnny off.

"That's where you're wrong, _mate_," he spat and pointed in the direction of a Wooper mindlessly waddling away. "I'm gonna catch that one. And then I can start this journey for real."

"Good luck to ya," Johnny wheezed, managing a smile of his own. "How're you gonna catch it since I sure as hell ain't wasting my time battling a Wooper."

"You wanna stay with me or not?" Piff asked impatiently, releasing him. "Have it your way. The sooner I get that water-type, the better for both of us."

With another amused smirk, Johnny plopped down on the grass, watching as Piff popped his shoulders and cracked his knuckles. "You're not…actually gonna beat that thing into submission, are you?"

The ravenette replied with a mocking smile and stomped his way after the scurrying (and admittedly slow) Wooper. Raising a fist, the Chimchar's eyes widened as Piff brought it down on the dumb Wooper's shiny head, knocking it out instantly. Confidently, the boy chucked an empty Pokéball at it, crossing his fingers stupidly as the Pokémon was enveloped in a bright white light.

Without so much as a roll, the ball dinged and Piff raised his new catch high. "I just caught a Wooper!"

His victorious cry echoed through the relatively empty plains, making the event all the more awkward.

Far above them, a Starly cawed.

"Wow," Johnny remarked, bored. "That was the most anticlimactic capture I'd ever seen. In some countries, I believe that's called _abuse_."

"In others, it's called _**initiative**_. In the meantime, you're going back."

"Whatever," the fire-type shrugged, turning his back on the trainer as the latter pocketed the ball. "It was fun while it lasted."

Behind him, Piff raised a brow. "You seriously don't care?"

Johnny shrugged again. "What's there to care about? It's not like I'm actually free travelling with some city-slicker brat. I've had far too many of those lately and you know how they end up? Dead in a ditch." It was minute but Piff was sure the Pokémon's shoulders sagged. "I'm not free. I never will be."

"Tried running away?"

"Ha! Yeah, I tried once or twice. Gave up because the outside world's not as simple as you think it is. In the end, I always come back to that exact same corner in Sandgem."

Johnny gave him a side glance and grinned. "But hey, at least I get free food at the lab."

Another wind blew over them as they remained in that spot, staring at each other. Eventually, Johnny scratched the back of his head and crossed his arms with a huff.

"Are we going back or what? Any more time with you and I think I'll catch cancer."

Piff watched the Pokémon start off and suddenly felt the urge to stop him. "H-hey…"

His words caught in his throat as the ground underneath his feet trembled slightly. His ears caught the numerous caws of Starly and Staravia as well as the sudden stillness in the air.

"Johnny," he called, lowering his voice to a harsh whisper as he lowered his fingertips to the ground. Ahead, the Chimchar gave an irritated sigh and spun around with an annoyed look.

"What now? Change of heart?"

Piff's fingertips tingled. "Ssh."

"Don't shush me!" Johnny hissed back acerbically and continued walking. "If you ain't got anything great to say then-"

"Johnny, stop!" Piff whisper-barked. The rumbling was getting louder.

"I ain't taking orders from you!" Johnny snapped harshly. "All you trainers ever do is expect guys like me to bend over backwards like mindless slaves! I ain't no one's lackey, got it! It's just not my definition of fucking freedom-"

A deep, ferocious roar ripped his sentence in half, prompting the Chimchar to freeze in shock. Both boy and Pokémon looked from each other to the ground where the terrifying roar had come from before looking back at each other again.

"Not a step," Piff mouthed, pointing at the ground. Johnny could only nod in reply as the trembling grew louder and harder till the very ground below them was rocking violently. Fortunately the trembling began to lessen after a moment as whatever the cause was moved away from the duo. Both would've heaved sighs of relief had it not been for one little thing.

The Wooper's ball had been rocked right out of Piff's pocket and was currently rolling across the vibrating floor.

To their horror, the release button hit a rock and exploded in a bright and, unfortunately, loud flash, releasing the now conscious Wooper who proceeded to hop about in fright and cry loudly.

The trembling stopped.

Piff tensed.

Johnny cursed.

And the ground below them erupted in a blast of soil and stone, sending all three of them flying into the air.

"What the fuck!" Johnny yelled and gasped as a massive shape hurled itself out of the dense dust clouds below, jaws wide and rocky fists clenched. It sported rock-like hide with a tail thick enough to break a human in half and eyes so fierce that fire might've been flashing from them. On first sight, it looked like a rhino. However, Piff's Pokédex had its own definition.

"_**Rhydon, the Drill Pok**__**é**__**mon. Rhydon's horn can crush even uncut diamonds. One sweeping blow of its tail can topple a building. This Pokémon's hide is extremely tough. Even direct cannon hits don't leave a scratch. Rhydon has a horn that serves as a drill. It is used for destroying rocks and boulders. This Pokémon occasionally rams into streams of magma, but the armour-like hide prevents it from feeling the heat."**_

"H-holy shit!" Johnny screamed as the airborne Rhydon swung its heavy tail at him. Using his size, the fire monkey evaded the attack by twisting his body against the coming tail and using his hands to grab hold of it. All of them came down hard on the ground though Johnny merely bounced off the Rhydon as it landed on its sturdy feet with a loud smash that cratered the ground around it. Piff wasn't so lucky as he landed on his shoulder, crying out as an audible crack indicated a dislocated joint. Wooper landed a good distance away and squealed in fright before taking off into the bushes.

"Fucking coward!" Johnny hissed at it, scurrying up to Piff who, at the moment was struggling to his feet. Before them, the Rhydon growled and stomped hard on the ground again before lowering its horn and charging.

"Shit! That's a Take Down!" Johnny hissed and both leapt out of the way just in time to avoid the devastating attack. The wild Pokémon crashed into the tree behind them, splitting it down in a single hit, a fact that made Piff involuntarily swallow.

"What's a Rhydon doing here?" he asked, grabbing the dislocated arm and, to Johnny's slight surprise, pushing it back into its socket. "I mean, this is Route 202. There aren't any mountains in sight."

"The freak must've travelled here underground," Johnny remarked, winding his arms as the Rhydon reappeared from the splinters, unscratched and not the least bit dizzy from the collision. "Hey, kid! Stand back, will ya?"

"You're going to fight it?" Piff gasped, shocked as Johnny took a fighting stance and glared at the beast twelve times his size. "But you're at a disadvantage. That's a rock-type and you're just a fire-type."

"I have a few fighting tricks up my sleeve," the monkey replied and leapt into action before Piff could stop him, running up to the Rhydon as it raised a glowing fist, readying a Mega Punch to squash him flat. Johnny was far agiler though and from the acrobatic way he dodged each blow, Piff was tempted to believe that his starter was far more experienced than he looked.

With a well-timed jump, Johnny avoided another swing of the Rhydon's tail and finally raised a fist, now coated in flames.

"Fire won't work, remember!" Piff barked.

"I know what I'm doing!" Johnny barked back, punching the Rhydon right in the back. At first, Piff expected Johnny's hand to shatter on its tough-looking hide. However, the fire monkey's fist bounced off the armour which spontaneously exploded upon impact.

A gawking Piff saw the heavy-set Rhydon fly forward and land on its face with thick black smoke streaming from its back.

"Ha! How d'you like me now, bitch!" the Pokémon jeered, raising his middle fingers at the Rhydon and turning to Piff. "Told ya so. BTW, your arm okay?"

"It's fine," Piff replied dismissively and gave the still Rhydon a furtive glance. "Let's get out of here. If what they taught at Trainer Scholl's correct then that Rhydon didn't travel alone. Plus, it won't be down for long."

"Yeah, yeah," Johnny waved off and blew his smoking fist.

"By the way, what was that move?"

"An explosive fire punch. Something I invented to get rid of my excess fire power," he replied proudly. "Unlike all 'em weak-ass Chimchar out there, I can make my flames explode. Took me a hell of a while to master it but hey, that's what I get for living in a forest full of fighting-types."

The boy nodded as they continued running down the forest. "Back there, that was pretty cool."

"Oh, so now you've got a change of heart?" Johnny sneered, head growing bigger with pride. "Well too bad. I'm still heading back to the lab so-"

A loud crash cut him short and Piff immediately grabbed the Pokémon before diving forward as a Rhydon bulldozed its way out the bushes and into their way. Roaring, it changed course and barrelled after them.

"That thing's pretty stubborn," Johnny hissed.

"No," Piff replied as it picked up speed. Just before it had changed course, he had gotten a good look at its back. "It's a different Rhydon!"

"Eh?!"

"And this is where a water-type would've been useful!" he whined, earning a sour look from his Pokémon.

"I admit that if the fucking Wooper hadn't run away then we'd have been outta this mess. But don't put the blame on my typing. Besides-" He leapt out of Piff's hold and raised his flaming fist. "I can take this pussy!"

What they didn't know was that Rhydon were much smarter than they looked.

Faster too.

The Drill Pokémon stopped its charge just as Johnny flew straight towards it, making a very swift turn. To the latter's shock, Johnny realised that he was on a collision course with the Rhydon's tail and though he angled himself away from the center of the attacking appendage, he still suffered a hard and gritty smack as the tail's surface scraped across the entire length of his frame.

Johnny was sent spinning away from the Rhydon like a hairy tennis ball and would've surely splattered against a tree had Piff not caught him in his chest and hit his own back on the tree.

"A-are you okay?" the dazed and winded Piff wheezed in concern as Johnny moaned.

"I'm good," he said, voice tightening as he held his head. "I just have the biggest headache right now."

"Your side's scraped too," Piff observed, drawing back his blood-stained hand. "Dammit, I need to get you to a PC."

"No way!" Johnny snapped, standing up again and facing the Rhydon. "I can beat this guy." Glancing over his shoulder, he jerked his head in the direction of the Rhydon. "I'll keep it busy while you go on ahead."

Piff's jaw tightened as his brows creased. "I can't do that. What if you get hurt or killed?"

Johnny scoffed. "I appreciate the worry but I don't exactly need it. Unlike me, you humans are frail as glass. Between you and me, I think I've got the better chances here." He quickly jumped over a swinging fist and latched onto the Rhydon's head. "Go, kid!"

"But-"

Another roar caught Piff's ears and his feet unwillingly stumbled forward. Johnny watched the boy disappear through the bushes and nodded to himself before returning to the matter at hand.

"With any luck, you won't end up dead like the last trainer," he murmured, pounding his fists against the Rhydon's eyes. "If I can at least do this much then I'll be able to sleep better at night."

With that, he placed both palms on the Rhydon's eyes and concentrated very hard. The forest floor rocked as an explosion was set off on the latter's head, earning an agonised scream from the Drill Pokémon. Falling to its knees, the opponent landed flat against the floor and Johnny dusted his hot palms before prodding at the injury on his side.

"Ouch," he hissed as it stung angrily. "I'll probably pass out if I cauterize it here. Better make sure the kid is safe."

He was just about turning around when a force as hard as a brick smacked the back of his head, carrying him into the air.

"What?!" he snapped, looking down to face the angriest eyes he had ever seen. They justifiably belonged to the first Rhydon he had earlier beaten down and before he knew it, the Pokémon scooped a large boulder from the ground and chucked it right at him. Unable to react fast enough, Johnny was literally bowled out of the air and right into a tree.

Biting back a pained cry, Johnny shook the dizziness from his eyes and rolled away just in time to avoid another powerful punch that felled the tree behind him. Things began to go uphill from there though as each move he made sent waves of pain up and down his entire body.

"F-fuck!" he spluttered upon realising that he couldn't feel his left arm after some time. Above him, the Rhydon's ugly expression seemed to mirror a deathly sneer as it realised its tiny opponent's predicament. Johnny held the limp arm in one hand and cursed as he snapped his fingers which produce little more than tiny, useless sparks now. "What? I'm out of gas already?! Gimme a fucking break, dammit! I didn't use that much fire, did I?!"

He had to stop his rant as the Rhydon's heavy foot came crashing down just an inch away from his head, startling him. Before he could even turn around, he was swept forward by another hard swing of its tail, launching him once more into the air.

To make matters worse, the second Rhydon he just felled had woken up and was currently charging something multi-coloured and bright.

"Shit!" he cried as the Hyper Beam enveloped his entire frame, resulting in an explosion so loud, the forest might as well have _jumped_. Covered in various burns, bruises and aches, a limp Johnny crash-landed against the dirt, skidding roughly on his back before coming to a painful halt.

Right before a steep cliff. With a 90m drop.

Half-conscious, Johnny considered the possibility of running for his life. Given the heavy stomps he was hearing however, that now seemed impossible. So what then? Die? And finally end the somewhat boring life he had led up until now?

That…actually sounded pretty nice at this point. After all, Johnny realised long ago that he never fit in with anything of this world. Born a lonely and destructive Pokémon in a jungle brimming with harsh fighting-types, it was no surprise that he became what he was now. Yes, he had the power to best most of them, going so far as to spitefully burn their homes down but now that he realised it, he didn't exactly feel all that proud of himself. In fact, he just found himself lonelier than before. Becoming a starter at the Rowan Labs didn't help as he either destroyed things, set the odd colleague alight or caused trouble for his trainers, most of which wound up dead in situations where he wasn't responsible enough to help them.

He even remembered the scathing words a rather proud Piplup had once told him when he almost burned her beak off.

"You're just a retarded cretin," she had scoffed, gazing down on him after she had beaten the daylights out of him. "A worthlessly incorrigible ape who has no destiny whatsoever and can pride himself only in destruction. Those dead trainers attest to that. Die horribly and alone, fool."

Ouch.

Truthfully, Johnny knew that he needed that. That's why he had earlier doubled his efforts to have Piff return him by being as difficult as possible. It wasn't that he was particularly stubborn (okay, maybe a little). He just didn't trust himself to protect the boy should the time actually come.

Now, as the two Rhydon stomped closer and closer to him with jaws barred and horn drills primed, he felt the least bit proud of something at least.

"I'm actually sacrificing myself to help that idiot," he murmured and raised himself up on a knee before raising his good arm. "And if I'm going down here then I might as well look cool while I'm at it."

If death was the "freedom" that he needed then so be it. With a hard snap, his fist ignited and he stared defiantly at the charging Rhydon. "Come at me, fuckers!"

And they did, stomping the ground flat as they edged closer and closer to bulldoze him off the cliff.

Then they stopped. And, to Johnny's surprise, began sliding backwards.

All three Pokémon looked to the rear and Johnny suppressed a gasp as Piff, the human, was holding tightly to their heavy tails and actually _dragging_ them backwards.

"What…" The Chimchar's brows creased in frustration. "WHAT THE FUCK ARE YOU DOING, KID?"

Piff spared Johnny a glance before lowering his own angry brows further. "I'd say the same for you, punk!" He heaved again and the Rhydon actually fell forward on their faces. "Whatever happened to you having the better chances of survival, huh?! 'Go on without me' my foot!" He ground his teeth as sweat poured down his pinched face. "There's no way I'm letting two brainless Rhydon kill my starter!"

With a loud cry, he _flung_ the first Rhydon over his shoulder and right through two trees before sharply yanking the second one towards his raised elbow, bashing it straight in the jaw.

The Rhydon staggered backwards and collided with its kin and Piff heaved several gasps again before turning to Johnny, the latter noting the rawness of his palms and the blood dotting his elbow.

"Hey!" he barked, pointing to Piff. "How'd you do that?"

"I'm stronger than most," Piff replied, thumbing his chest and smirking. "So you don't have to worry about protecting me."

"But-"

"You wanna be free, right?" the ravenette snapped, cutting Johnny short as he dropped on one knee to glare right into the fire monkey's eyes. "We're the same. I realised that when you said those things earlier. Remember the part where you said you'll never be free, right?"

"Yeah," Johnny replied, cocking a brow. "What does that have to do with anything?"

"I used to think like that too, at a point. Up until I was twelve, I was pretty destructive, accidentally breaking stuff and beating people up when I got mad. People even called me a monster and I didn't belong anywhere. It was suffocating."

He thumped his chest again. "To me, freedom meant moving past those things and becoming a better person, starting over in a sense. I wanted people to see me for me, not some strong and hot-tempered jerk. That's why I'm going on this journey. To let people see the good stuff that even I can do. That's my freedom and my mom helped me realise that when I was at the end of my rope."

Wow, what a coincidence. "So…you didn't fit in too?" Johnny murmured in disbelief. "And you're not giving up on that freedom?"

"Why the hell should I?" Piff barked defiantly. "I'll be no better than I was before!"

Johnny's eyes widened. "Oh…I didn't look at it that way."

Piff thumped him gently on the head and grinned. "You said you'll never be free, right? Well come with me, Johnny and I'll prove just how wrong you are."

He held out a scraped palm and Johnny paused, contemplating the offer. "Can you gimme a sec to think about this?"

"Take your freaking time," the boy bit out sarcastically as the Rhydon finally ambled to their sturdy feet and growled at them. Without a second to lose, Johnny grabbed the hand and gave it a firm shake.

To Piff's relief, his palm wasn't burning.

"Let's get that freedom then, kid-I mean, Piff!" Johnny said, fresh determination in his eyes.

"Great!" Piff flung him onto his shoulder and turned to the Rhydon, cracking his knuckles. "Got any fight left in ya?"

"Shut up and throw me as hard as you can," the Chimchar replied, jumping into the air. A moment later, Piff caught him in one hand and wound it back, aiming straight for the first Rhydon.

"He's all yours!" the boy roared, pitching Johnny at the charging Pokémon. Clenching his good fist, Johnny concentrated all his fire power into his tail and with a boom, his tail flames increased in intensity, sending him right into the Rhydon's skull with the speed of a rocket.

The makeshift Mach Punch connected so hard that the Rhydon was knocked flying backwards with a sizeable crack in its rock-hard hide. Still whizzing forward, Johnny's flaming fist raked the second Rhydon across the cheek, leaving a hot scratch that earned an angry roar from the target. Before it could actually fight back, Piff was already under it with a fist drawn back.

"If your skin can withstand cannon fire then I'll just have to punch harder than that!" he roared, shooting the fist forward and delivering a devastating blow to both the Rhydon's chin and his own knuckles as both cracked audibly. The punch was still enough to carry the Rhydon upwards and right into Johnny's attack. A searing palm to the belly and an ensuing explosion was all it took to fell the Rhydon and its fall even left a wide crater around it once it landed on the ground.

"Phew," Johnny gasped, totally satisfied and waving the smoke from his fist. "That…felt pretty good, actually. Scratch that; we were fucking awesome!"

"I know, right?" Piff boasted and both high-fived each other before howling in pain as their broken hands finally gave. Falling flat on their backs as exhaustion seeped in, the world fell silent as they took the time to regain their breaths, panting loudly and giving strangled laughs over their somewhat dishevelled appearances.

"You alright, kid?" Johnny wheezed, rolling to his belly and watching as whitish vapour began to waft from Piff's raw palms. A little while later, the vapour was gone and his palms looked almost as fresh as a baby's. "I'll take that as a yes, then."

"You say it like I'm some kind of freak," Piff joked though his smile waned as he shook his resetting hand. "Though you'd be right in a sense. I haven't exactly seen humans do what I can do. You're…not scared of me already, are you?"

The Chimchar clambered onto his thick black hair and stretched languidly. "Nah. If anything, I'm sorta relieved. Now I know I won't have to do wild battles anymore."

"Wrong, mate," Piff deadpanned, getting up and dusting his jacket. "I only joined in because you were in danger and these guys are way above your level. Speaking of which…"

They turned to the unconscious Rhydon.

"Why did those guys come all the way to the boonies?" he remarked, puzzled. "Mt Coronet is miles away from here."

"They moved, I guess," Johnny offered with a pained shrug. "Pokémon do that."

"But Rhydon are territorial," Piff said and put a hand to his chin. "Unless they were forced out of the mountain, I doubt they'd travel here."

He gestured to the area beyond the cliff where the Twinleaf Ruins lay and the sea even beyond that.

"Water," Johnny stated dryly.

"You know how much they hate that. Yet they came here. And then attacked us for seemingly no reason."

"I sure as hell don't wanna stick around to find out," Johnny said cautiously and Piff backed off towards the woods. Eight minutes in, they found Piff's Wooper happily munching on mud, right next to its dropped Pokéball.

It might have been abuse but Piff was perfectly justified when he kicked it clear over the horizon. Once the dazed Pokémon was back in its ball, nameless and properly scolded, Piff and Johnny found their way out of the rough woods of Route 202 and heaved sighs of relief as Jubilife City stood before them.

"We made it," Piff sighed, sitting on the grassy hill overlooking the city. "First stop, a Pokémon Centre. Then, Oreburgh City."

"What's at Oreburgh?"

Piff arched a brow. "The gym. You honestly never heard about that?"

"I honestly never made it that far before getting returned, ass-hat."

"Whatever. Once we're done at the PC, you and Wooper are training right away."

"Why do I need to train?" Johnny flexed his thin arms. "You saw what I did with the Rhydon back there, remember?"

"Did you get amnesia or did you just completely ignore the fact that I saved your flaming butt?"

"Hey! You can insult me but this ass had nothing to do with it." He smacked his bum for emphasis.

"That was totally random and completely irrelevant!"

"Your face is irrelevant!"

"Go suck on a banana, jerk-wad," Piff hissed, earning a gasp from his Pokémon.

"That is a very vicious stereotype, you dick!" he barked.

"So…you hate bananas?"

"Of course not! I'm a monkey for fuck's sake!"

"You swear too much!"

"Can't help it since I'm travelling with an idiot!"

"Wooper!" the Wooper cried, strangely out of its ball.

"Shut the hell up!" they barked in unison, successfully scaring it back into its ball.

The two glared at each other hatefully before sighing and falling back into the grass.

"I don't know why I even took you in," Piff mock-lamented, closing his eyes.

"Get used to it, pal," Johnny replied before softening his scowl and looking to the side. "Thanks for the help, by the way. Not that I needed it…"

"Aaww, you're the tsundere-type," Piff remarked sarcastically before smirking back. "Anytime, dude. Just remember that we're partners from now on so I've got your back."

"Partners…" Johnny grinned back. "I like the sound of that."

* * *

A good distance away from the duo, a shape swathed in deep black put down his binoculars and tapped twice on the ground before stepping back as a Rhydon burst out in a flurry of soil.

"That strong, eh?" he asked as the Rhydon stroked the crack on its chin. His electric blue eyes narrowed as a small smile broke out across his face. "It's official then."

_He pressed a receiver to his ear and said, "Saturn, we found him."_


	6. That Fine Summer Day!

**Author's Corner.**

Slybill: Hahaha, everyone must be pretty pissed at how long this next chapter took, huh? So to escape your pitchforks and scythes, I've posted two long chapters as penance! Enjoy!

* * *

**ACT IV: THAT FINE SUMMER DAY.**

* * *

**_Breathing._**

_"Oh my God, what happened here?!"_

**_Panting._**

_"M-my arm! Coliot broke my arm! It hurts!"_

**_Gasping._**

_"He hit me too!"_

_"Argh! My leg!"_

_"Somebody help! They're bleeding!"_

**_Anger._**

_"Coliot, calm down, now!"_

**_Rage._**

_"They called me a monster!"_

_"He is! He tried to kill me!"_

_"He's lying!"_

_"Coliot, put that table down, now!"_

**_Murderous intent._**

_"Teacher, Andy's not moving!"_

**_Remorse._**

_"You should be ashamed of yourself, Coliot!"_

**_Judgement._**

_"He's a monster. I know those eyes anywhere."_

**_Shame._**

_"Your son is too violent for his own good. Until he learns to control his temper, he is not fit to become a trainer."_

_It's._

_"In fact, I'd say he's not even fit to live with his fellow human beings!"_

_Just._

_"You monster!"_

_Not._

_"Just die, freak."_

_Fair._

**_"COLIOT!"_**

* * *

Purple eyes snapped open and Piff sat up abruptly, clutching at his chest and heaving like he'd ran a thousand miles. It took a while for his breathing to even out and it was no surprise that Johnny was staring wide-eyed at him.

The marker in his yellow hands caught the boy's furtive gaze.

"What're you doing?" he asked, rubbing his sweat-soaked forehead and bringing the palm to his face. His brow twitched in mild annoyance as black ink stared back at him.

"Speak for yourself," Johnny scoffed, tossing the object over his shoulders and climbing onto Piff's head. "You were trashing around in your sleep and screaming stuff. Makes it hard to sleep when someone does that, don't you think?"

The ravenette rubbed his stinging eyes and, with some difficulty, removed his contacts. Even from his position and the overall darkness of their current surroundings, Johnny could see the vivid red glow in his trainer's eyes.

"Stupid contacts," the boy hissed quietly, rubbing his eyes again before looking around. "Where're we?"

Johnny gave him one of those 'are-you-retarded' looks; one that he was quickly, and unfortunately, getting used to. "Your house, remember?"

Piff arched a brow and Johnny thumped him not-so-gently on the head as if doing that would jog his memory.

"We got kicked outta the Pokémon Center after that bitch nurse caught me sniffing crack!"

"You mean the ground herbs they kept for sedating rock types."

Johnny made a face. "Whatev's! That shit was the bomb!"

"Oh! I remember now!" Piff grabbed Johnny and dangled him upside down in front of his face, brows furrowed and triangular teeth barred in a snarl. "You shoved some up my nose and we ended up trashing the entire place!"

"Wooper helped-"

"I don't care! We ended up getting banned from Jubilife's PC! _**Forever!**_"

"Fucking harsh, if you asked me. That Nurse was such an asshole."

"Who wouldn't be after getting their honor awards smashed in a game of twister in mid-air," Piff deadpanned. "How did we do that anyway?"

"Thus the beauty of Poké-crack," Johnny declared with a thumbs-up. Piff dropped him on his head though this time, his starter landed on the soft bed. "So you flipped the Nurse off-"

"I did what?!"

"-And took us to your place. Luckily, your mom wasn't around so we crashed here for the night!"

Too semi-groggy to worry about if they had trashed his house just as much as the PC's, the trainer rolled off his bed and drew the curtains open, receiving a face full of dawn served with frigid breeze on the side. Shivering a little, he drew them closed again and sat on his bed, eyeing the picture on the dresser.

Slowly, his cheeks began to burn at the thought of what Zoey would've said, seeing him back here. Whoever heard of a trainer coming back home so soon after starting his journey?

_I'll look like a mama's boy,_ he mused inwardly and turned to the fire-type lazing on his bed._ Zoey'll definitely be on my case if she sees Johnny._

Lucky for him, she had gone out on a coordinating tour days ago and wouldn't be back in a while. As expected, she made him promise to still keep in touch no matter what and he gave the strange device on his table a passive glance. It was the X-transceiver she had gotten him for his 14th birthday, a new, hi-tech device from far away Unova that far-outclassed the region's Pokétch, making it a rare (and expensive) item to obtain. Such a device wouldn't have made so much as a dent in Zoey's opinions had it not been for its communicative functions and durability.

Cutting his thoughts short and deciding to call her at a later time, Piff shoved himself into the bathroom, washing the grogginess out of his body with cold water and rinsing out his eyes as he usually did. As he cleaned himself up, his mind began to drift to their current status. Having just gotten two Pokémon in one day (a smirk couldn't help but plaster itself across his face at that fact), he figured that the logical thing to do now was start his training journey full-circle like any hot-blooded trainer. Oreburgh Gym seemed like the first place to start his victory campaign and he smirked wider at his current odds of winning. Even a child knew that rock-types, many of which just so happened to be trained at the not-too-far-away gym, totally failed against water-types and with the Wooper in his possession, that badge was as good as his.

All he had to do was train the dumb-looking Pokémon and that was that. Who knows, maybe he could catch another water-type on the way. Maybe it could even be a Magikarp! Even though it was too soon, Piff was already picturing himself as a champion water-type master with an awesome array of Pokémon, ready to take on any opponent that foolishly threw themselves his way.

"Hey, kid! Are you taking a shit or something? You've been in there for, like, forever!"

_Oh yeah_, Piff deadpanned as he killed the running water. There was still that little bane with fire for a butt. If not for their similar dreams, Piff would've dropped Johnny off like a hot plate (pun fully intended). But as he was met with the fire monkey's scowl upon opening the door, he didn't feel all that bothered. As Terry had said, it would be much cooler knowing he assembled a fearsome team of water-types with only a fire-type as his starter (it sounded less conflicting in his head). Plus, Johnny Firebottoms was strong in his own right, undoubtedly a good back-up plan in case they hit a roadblock in the form of something super-effective against water-types.

"Alright!" he declared, suddenly more fired up than ever. "Let's go out there and train our butts off!"

Johnny sweatdropped at the boy's astonishing rise in enthusiasm. "Sure, whatever but-"

"No matter what challenges may come our way, I'm positive we can tear our way through each one like cardboard! 100% positive!" Piff continued, throwing a victory sign.

"Yeah-"

"First, Oreburgh! Then the world! Being a Water-type Pokémon master could never be easier!"

"Um, Piff, you're sparkling-"

"And then I can show them all that "no-good" Piff is not so no-good anymore! Just you watch, Sinnoh!" To Johnny's displeasure, the ravenette threw open his window and put on foot on the sill, chest puffed out, arm jutting out to the sunrise and eyes filled with the over-confidence every naïve trainer started off with before the world steadily pummeled it out in the course of time. "COLIOT PIFF ROSEWOOD IS GONNA BE THE GREATEST WATER-TYPE TRAINER IN THE UNIVERSE! EVER!"

Silence.

Silence.

Johnny finally clapped sarcastically as the faint sound of a baby's wails pierced the silent atmosphere. "Bravo. Let's see you do that in just a towel, champ."

Piff ignored him, still basking in the after-glow of his confident outburst. Then fate dealt its first cruel hand when a breeze carried his towel off his waist and into the beautiful horizon.

…

"And with that, my bag's fully stocked up," Piff reeled out, putting the last potion into his bag-pack. Now fully dressed, he let Johnny climb back unto his hair and turned to the door with a spring in his step. Saying goodbye to his house for the second time, he grabbed the door knob and pushed forward with the full strength of his optimism.

He sent the person on the other side flying.

"Oh my gosh!" he screamed as the unlucky girl landed in a heap on the other side of the road, blood trickling down her small nose. Enthusiasm forgotten in an instant, he rushed over to the girl with concern painted heavily over his face. "A-are you okay?!"

The girl didn't respond.

"I think she's dead," Johnny observed, voice in a rather odd deadpan.

"No way!" Piff cried, dropping to his knees and placing his hands on her chest. With the gentleness of a Machamp, he pumped her chest in and out. Johnny sweatdropped as his trainer's attempt at revival did the exact opposite, making blood spew out of her parted lips.

Panicking, the ravenette pulled at his messy hair and was about roaring in frustration before remembering something. Johnny saw the hopeful glint in his eyes and knew without further thought that a bad idea was brewing.

"Oi, Piff, just what're you-"

"Stand back," he replied, pushing his bangs back and placing his fingers on the girl's lips. "I'm gonna do CPR."

"CP-What now?!"

"Centi-respiratory-something! It always works on TV!" Piff barked and took a deep breath.

"Yeah but she's-"

Johnny's meaningful interjection came a bit too late as Piff jammed his lips against the girl's and blew, not noticing the erratic twitch in her fingers or the slight heaving in her chest earlier.

Needless to say, his breath of life 'worked', as evidenced by the girl's eyes snapping wide open.

She took one look at the ruffian currently stealing her first kiss, noted the hands placed on her chest and promptly bit his tongue with all the strength her jaws could muster.

Piff screamed and pulled away sharply before grabbing his mouth and falling on his back, rolling over in agony at his bleeding tongue.

"What the hell, man!" he lisp-roared and got a boot to the face from the angry blonde.

"That's my line, thug!" she screeched back, cupping her red nose and slowly staggering to her feet. "You've got some nerve jumping me out in the open like that, bastard. If you wanted to get a shot at my boobs, you could've just asked, rapist!"

"You've-ow-got it all wrong," Piff groaned, sore, lightheaded and also getting to his feet. "I was trying to help you-"

His words turned into an embarrasingly high-pitched scream as her other foot crashed against his crotch. Even Johnny winced as his trainer fell, concluding that the boy was now certainly rendered impotent.

"Healing, my ass," she spat, putting her thrown shoe back on and placing her hands on her hips. "And who the hell are you, anyway?"

Piff didn't immediately respond, still engulfed in the waves of pain swimming through his nether regions. Crap, they had to be bleeding!

"I said-" Her foot hit his knee, finally sending him down the annoyance lane. "Who. Are. You?"

"Coliot Piff Rosewood!" he snapped, straightening up and ramming his forehead against hers. Both simultaneously nosebled from the near skull-shattering impact and they finally collapsed atop each other, concussion-ridden.

Eventually, Piff untangled himself from the dazed girl, a small tendril of steam trailing out of his mouth. He crouched beside her and rubbed his neck awkwardly.

"Sorry," he mumbled.

"Burn…in…hell," she replied woozily, sitting up. She blinked her slanted grey eyes twice before staring at him skeptically. "I never knew Top Coordinator Zoey Rosewood had a kid. You guys don't look anything alike."

"Thanks," he said acidly. "Now can I know what you were doing outside my door?"

"For your information, I was stopping over for a visit. Zoey happens to be my mentor."

Piff arched a brow. "Mentor? Since when?"

"Since yesterday when I got her autograph!" the blonde girl declared, raising a photo of his mother with her undeniable signature sprawled over it. "I saw her in Floaroma Town while she was on her Sinnoh tour. Her coordination techniques and groomed Pokémon were to die for! I was hooked instantly and became her biggest fan! So when I got her autograph, I begged to become her student."

"…And she said yes?"

"SHE SAID YES!" she squealed, loud enough for both Piff and Johnny to plug their ears. "And she even gave me her address, stating that I could come any time I wanted! Awesome, right?"

"I guess." He peeked back at the empty house. "But…she hasn't come back yet."

"Wait, what?!"

"With her bad memory, I won't be surprised if she forgot that she herself was still on tour." Piff's smile turned slightly condescending. "She's not back for a few months, pal. You should've figured that out at least, given that she only truly _started_ the tour two _days_ ago."

The girl blinked again before slowly growing red-faced as realization hit her like a sack of Munchlax. "Huh? What?!"

"Come back another time or something," Piff stated, locking up and accepting Johnny onto his shoulder. He faced the street, pocketed his hands and began to walk, the spring back in his step as his 'training-high' returned full-circle.

"Hold it right there, mister! You don't just drop a boulder like that on your mother's fangirl and abandon me!"

Piff continued walking, making sure not to look over his shoulder. Nothing was stopping him now! Not savage Pokémon, hostile Nurse Joys or obsessive blonde girls with their volume controls-or lack of, thereof (a slightly hypocritical statement of his but a true one nonetheless).

"You're taking me to her, buddy!" she suddenly cried, jumping on his back for emphasis. Piff stumbled forward at the impact before sighing exasperatedly and, with a simple buck, throwing her off. Obstinately, she stuck to his leg like a Starmie to a rock and whined obsessively as he dragged his feet across the tarmac. "Come on, Coliot, ol' buddy!"

"I've never seen you in my life."

"Just this quick favour! Please! Consider it even for almost breaking my nose and killing me!"

"And I repaid it by bringing you back to life-"

"Technically, she was still breathing," Johnny chipped in.

"The only way I can see Zoey is through you now, Coliot!" the girl pressed, tightening her grip. Piff suppressed the urge to blush as his leg became vaguely aware of her chest's features. "Come on! I'll do anything! …Okay, not _any_thing but you get the point! Hey, I'll even train you!"

Piff stopped abruptly, causing a spark of hope to fleet across her eyes. It died instantly at his scary expression of discontent.

"Starting trainer I may be but I am just as confident of my skills as any other powerful trainer! To offer me such cheap methods hurts me much more than a smack to the face with a hot cup of coffee! Do I look like some airheaded ditz who can't so much as take care of his own Pokémon? To think I'm already belittled by some annoying, cootie-infested twat!"

He turned away, overcome by emotion with comical waterfalls rolling down his eyes. "Johnny! My heart weeps! We must show this beautiful yet cruel world just how much potential Coliot Piff Rosewood possesses!"

Johnny facepalmed. "Kid, I think you're over-reacting-"

"And furthermore!" His finger pointed threateningly at the girl's face. "I never want to see such wicked people like you again! If you wish to ask the future Water-type master for a precious favor, you must be willing to sacrifice something of equal value!"

He spun back to the road for the fourth time that morning, hell-bent on finally starting his journey.

"How about we battle?"

And he spun back to her again, eyes big and sparkly and rid of whatever purpose he had set for himself a second ago.

"Yes!" he barked like a happy Growlithe, mood taking a sharp 180. "Yes, yes, yes, yes, yes!"

Both Johnny and the surprised blonde had their brows twitching at his infinite levels of enthusiasm.

_It's official_, they inwardly deadpanned. _This guy has ADHD._

Brushing it off, the girl fished a brand-new Pokéball from her skirt-pockets and brandished it confidently. "Two Pokémon each. First to have all their Pokémon faint loses. You win and I disappear from your undoubtedly miserable life, making you even miserabler-if that's a real word. But if I win, I'm following you till we see Zoey! Oh, and forfeiting on your end grants me an automatic win! So what'll it be, Coliot? Think carefully because this could be a life-changing-"

"Go Wooper! Tackle!"

Grey eyes widened as Wooper's shiny head rocketed through her line of sight and she instinctively ducked, avoiding the attack and letting it slam against a fire hydrant.

"A-ARE YOU SERIOUS?!" she spluttered at the ravenette who was bouncing up and down excitedly. "We haven't even gone through proper battle formalities like introductions or, oh I don't know, CALLING OUT **MY** POKéMON!"

"You talk too much," Piff replied bluntly. "C'mon, c'mon! Call out your Pokémon already so I can have my first ever Pokémon battle! I'm fired up to win and I won't let your pointless blabbering stop me!"

A thick vein bulged across the right of her forehead upon hearing his rude reply and she ground her pearly whites before throwing a sadistic grin. "I, Cynthia, am insulted. Hope you've packed your bags and some ice, boy, 'cause I'm kicking your ass six ways to Kanto. Go, Gible!"

The sphere sailed high into the air before exploding in white light and letting out a pint-sized ball of scales and teeth with a chipped fin.

"Awesome," Piff cooed, whipping out his Pokédex (and ignoring the sudden, small twinge of nostalgia that followed).

"_**Gible, the Land Shark Pokémon. It attacks using its huge mouth. While its attacks are powerful, it hurts itself out of clumsiness, too."**_

"So, let's begin!" Cynthia started, pointing at the dazed Wooper. "Show 'em what a real tackle looks like!"

Gible barked obediently and lowered his horn which took on a white glow. Like a rocket, he took off for the oblivious Wooper and rammed into its belly, knocking it back at Piff.

"Stand your ground, Wooper!" Piff ordered, smirking wildly. "This fight's only just beginning. Go for a Water Gun!"

"Dig," Cynthia countered as the amphibious Pokémon skidded against the ground and took a deep breath. Gible leapt into the air before brandishing his small but sharp claws and effortlessly diving through the road like it was water. Only his small horn remained visible above the surface as he dug his way at top speed towards Wooper.

The targeted Pokémon looked blankly at his trainer, expecting a quick order. It was met with Piff's calculative gaze, a face unnervingly different from the goofy grins it was used to.

"Doesn't look like you know any field moves like magnitude," he murmured, quickly scanning his Pokédex. His split-second reference-checking cost Wooper a turn as it received a swift uppercut from the reappearing Gible. Wooper let out a soft squeal of discomfort before falling back to the ground.

Piff noted the lack of visible recoil from the collision with the ground due to Wooper's squishy body.

"Dig again!" Cynthia commanded, smirking wider as Gible dove back into the ground. This time, he appeared behind Wooper, grabbed its tail and launched it into the air before jumping above it and coming down on it with a speedy Tackle. Wooper certainly looked winded but once again, this didn't last long and it bounced noiselessly on its back against the ground before landing on its sturdy feet.

"Again! Again! Again!"

The onslaught continued three more times and Johnny began to wonder just what his trainer was doing, keeping silent and watching the slow-witted Pokémon get pummeled. Squishy body aside, Wooper had their limit and from the looks of it, Piff's was reaching its fast.

"Hey, do something, man!" Johnny hissed. "You gonna stand around all day or what?!"

"Relax," Piff replied, seeing Cynthia's haughty smile dip slightly at his own. "I've got this figured out." He raised his head and pointed to Cynthia. "This first round is mine, blonde!"

"Haha, tell me that when you've actually won, meathead!" she scoffed back, also wondering what he had up his sleeve. "You look like you're planning something so I'll cut straight to the chase and finish this first round. Gible! Dig one more time!"

Piff smirked.

"And then use Dragon Claw!"

His smile twitched but kept up nonetheless as Gible nodded and dove into the ground again.

"Oi, oi! Isn't that bad?" Johnny cautioned, watching as the ground slowly heated up. "Dragon moves are powerful shit, aren't they?"

The ravenette flashed his sharp teeth, confidently. "Doesn't count if they don't hit. Wooper!"

His Pokémon snapped to alert.

"Put all your weight on your tail and jump!"

Wooper croaked and obeyed, pushing back before launching itself into the air. To Johnny's surprise and Pff's hopeful expectations, Wooper got rather high for its size and just in time too as Gible burst through the ground with his glowing red claws splayed. Expecting to rake through soft flesh, he was baffled to catch thin air and Cynthia promptly realised that Wooper had just out-jumped her Pokémon.

"And now, slam him with your tail!" Piff ordered.

"Wooper!" Wooper cried, spinning in mid-air and coming down on Gible. With a sharp smack, its tail connected with the tiny dragon's head and hurled him right into the ground. More bony than squishy, Gible had the air knocked out of him as he landed hard against the tarmac, cracking the area around him slightly. Before he could even recover, he saw stars as Wooper slammed its full weight against his head and bounced off, unharmed and proud of its deed.

"Yes!" Piff cried as Gible passed out. Without thinking, he grabbed the squishy pile of blue and swung it around victoriously. "You're not such a dumb Pokémon after all. How d'you like me now, Cynthia? Not such a novice trainer, am I!"

"The battle's just beginning," she growled back, grinding her teeth._ I can't believe he got the jump on me like that! I have to show him what I'm made of or he's gonna find out I only just started training too!_

"Wanna forfeit?" Piff sneered, watching as she lowered her head, golden bangs hiding her eyes from his mocking gaze. He seemed to recoil as she straightened up again, a sinister smile on her features.

"Coliot Rosewood," she began, tone edgy as she raised another ball. "That first round was merely a test. Now that I know what you're capable of, I guess I'll have to pull out my secret weapon."

Piff swallowed thickly in anticipation and Wooper hunched into a battle pose, ready for whatever monster lay in that red and white sphere in her palm.

_I'm meeting Zoey whether he likes it or not! And I'll definitely win this battle even if it kills me! _She inwardly swore, eyeing him up and down. _Yes, I can do this! He's just some tramp foster kid of Zoey's, probably a failure in trainer school while I graduated with straight A's! Even if the odds are in his favor I'll pull through like all those practice battles! Ha, this is gonna be a piece of cake!_

"Go, Turtwig!"

…

"And though its burns were a little on the severe side, Turtwig made a full recovery! You be careful now and know your limits, missy!" Nurse Joy chirped, handing the Pokéballs to the somewhat catatonic girl who accepted them robotically and turned to the door. She reached the sliding glass pane that separated her from Piff's smug smirk on the other side and hissed acerbically.

"I still don't see why you couldn't come inside and take responsibility," she snapped as soon as she stepped outside, sour countenance only fueling Piff's obnoxious urge to stick his tongue out at her. Johnny casually blew his still-smoking fingertips as the girl stamped her way over to a bench and crossed her arms. "I mean, that over-leveled pyromaniac on your head almost turned my Turtwig into turtle-soup!"

"I'm kinda banned from Jubilife's PC," Piff replied in a sing-song tone, plopping beside her. "So…where's my prize money?"

He inwardly marvelled at how her grey eyes blazed so furiously upon hearing that.

"You…" she seethed, jabbing a finger into his chest. "You pig! You practically beat me up, bring me bad news, pummel my precious partners and now you demand PRIZE MONEY?! DIE, PERVERTED RAPIST APE! YOU AND YOUR DERP-MONKEY!"

"Hey!" Johnny hissed though he, once again, went ignored. Vexed, he readied a fiery loogie and was about dousing her face when Piff jerked upright, knocking Johnny off-balance and onto the bench. As a result, the loogie was swallowed and Piff's Pokémon was soon engaged in a choking session, complete with throat-clawing, noisy hacking and ground-rolling.

Cynthia blinked at the spectacle, unimpressed. "Does he have rabies?"

Piff sweatdropped. "No idea. Anyway, I'll be off."

At that, the girl's mouth dipped even further as he got up and dusted his jacket. "No fair…"

"No. Very fair," he corrected, picking Johnny up. "I win, you disappear and hey, I won't even take your money. Very, very, very fair."

"B-but-"

Piff stopped, expression hooded. "What do you want?" he whispered. Cynthia paused as he slowly turned to her, head lowered and suspicious eyes peeking through his messy bangs. "What do you really want, Cynthia? If you have to meet my mom, you could just look up where she's scheduled to appear on her tour. If you're a true fan, you would've found this on the Nation Contest Website."

A breeze cut through the uncomfortable silence that followed, during which Cynthia fiddled with a stray lock of hair in slight embarrassment. "Well…"

"You look like a smart person."

Her gaze snapped back to him. "Huh?"

"I'm sure you knew about that, yet you still came here, knowing my address and challenging me despite knowing how disadvantaged you were. Heck, I'm even willing to bet that you knew all along that my mom wouldn't be here." His gaze hardened. "Were you trying to break into our house?"

"No!" she exploded, putting her hands up in innocence. "I swear, that's not why I came here!"

"Then what do you want?" he demanded gruffly, taking a step forward. Cynthia reflexively took one step back. "Who are you?"

Piff's voice had risen by now and Johnny had almost jumped when he got a glimpse of his trainer's expression. He definitely caught the defensive edge in the boy's voice, which was definitely justified given the sudden suspicion Cynthia aroused. However…why were Piff's shoulders trembling? Why could he see fear in those purple eyes?

Cynthia stuttered for a bit before sighing and lowering her hands. "I'm a starting trainer, like you. A big fan of your mom, yeah…but I'm more into what she has than her skills in coordinating."

Piff remained silent, an invisible nod for her to continue.

"I talked with Zoey the other day, back in Floaroma Town. I…had something to ask of her." She crossed her arms. "Ever heard of Lustrite?"

The ravenette quirked a brow. "Yeah, I have. Mom told me it's an ancient relic; a weird stone that's supposed to grant someone the power to manipulate space."

Cynthia nodded. "I'm looking for it, as well as its supposed counterparts, Adamantite and Grisite, both of which hold unimaginable powers of their own. It's been my dream to someday hold these three orbs in my hands." She had to check herself from sounding like a mad woman at that point. "Don't worry. I'm not some bad guy or anything. Someone else can dominate the world for all I care."

"Then why do you want those things?" Piff spat, eyeing her as she turned to the rest of the city centre now cast in its bright noon glow.

A fleeting image crossed Cynthia's mind as she watched the younger trainers scurry about with their Pokémon, laughing and playing and enjoying their youthful lives. Her hand clenched.

"I'd like to change the world." She turned back to him, tilting her head to the side and smiling. "Somewhere out there, life's not as rosy as most of Sinnoh makes it to be. Some people can't know the joy of seeing the world or training Pokémon while some Pokémon are being abused by people who do know what it's like. Others are suffering from constant wars or famines or rampages from mad Pokémon and the ones who have such power to help them do nothing but sit and pass empty laws, amendments and bills." Her smile twitched. "This world is too unfair to its inhabitants, bringing one catastrophe or another. If I can get those stones, I can make this place better."

"…Then, you thought Mom would know where they are?" he asked tonelessly, still locked on her form. "Why her?"

"Because Zoey had close ties with someone who knew of their whereabouts. An old champion who disappeared years ago," Cynthia said and sighed. "But she didn't know where they'd be."

"Huh. Tough," Piff replied, unable to hold back the contempt in his voice. It was strange but he couldn't bring himself to empathize with the girl. Not when she was dancing around her reasons for wanting to obtain something as fictional as magical stones. Especially when their names roused something within a heart, like an annoying itch.

He had enough. Unlike her, he had more realistic dreams to achieve. Call it unfair, wicked or cruel but Piff didn't feel anything for her words other than annoyance at how utterly unreal she sounded. Even if she wanted those stones (which he had no problem with, btw), the least she could do was come up with a more tangible reason. Piff wasn't annoyed by her dream. It was how much terribly layered her reason was. But then again, it wasn't his business if she chose to withhold something from the explanation (as shown by the outright twitching of her left eye).

"Cool story," he bade, starting off. "Good luck with that dream of yours or whatever. I'll be busy becoming the greatest Water-type trainer in the world."

And so Piff walked, blotting her memory from his mind. Why he went through the trouble of distancing himself was partially unknown to him (partially being the keyword here) and even Johnny gave him a look at his cold demeanor.

"Zoey doesn't know of their whereabouts but she did mention someone who had a pretty good idea," Cynthia called, not so much as glancing over her shoulder as he brushed past her. "Name your price, Coliot Piff Rosewood, lone survivor of the Twinleaf Massacre."

White converses stopped against the tarred curb.

"No matter how subtle it is, I know that husky accent anywhere. I have done my research, being the smart girl that I am," Cynthia chirped, spinning casually on her heel. "Seven years ago, Twinleaf Town was devoured by a massive fire and all its residents at the time were killed, except for one young boy who was found clinging to the charred remains of a body too burnt to even recognise. Not a hair on his head was singed and he had threads of blood leaking from his eyes. Zoey didn't tell me any of this, for the record. The only thing I gathered from her was your position as her son and your knowledge of the stones' locations. She did promise me that all would be explained if I followed you."

A chuckle escaped Piff's lips, making Johnny raise a brow.

_So even now, she was still looking out for him, eh?_ "That woman," he remarked and finally glanced over his shoulder. His smile was bitter and his eyes weren't the least bit apologetic when he replied, "She forgot to tell you I'm an amnesiac, didn't she?"

The wind was harsher now, blowing Cynthia's hair away from her face, exposing her shocked grey eyes and slightly parted lips to the world and the smirking ravenette.

"W…what?" Her brows finally knotted in frustration. "What?! Why?! How?! If that's true then…you don't know what I'm even talking about? What I've been trying to imply all this time?"

Johnny suddenly got defensive as Cynthia's fingers gripped Piff's collar and dragged him to her level with a strength she herself never knew she had.

"Hey, Piff, should I torch her?" the Chimchar growled, ready to scratch her off when Piff raised a hand reassuringly.

"The stones have alternate names, some more well-known than others. Lustrous, Adamant, Griseous. Anything come to mind?" Cynthia demanded. "They're carved directly from the hearts of the Creation Trio themselves! Palkia, Dialga and Giratina! You don't know that? You don't know how much control one can have over such Pokémon by simply holding their orbs?! Twinleaf Town celebrated such legends every year!"

Piff said nothing in reply, merely boring into her eyes with a bored, blank stare. His constant silence gave her the answer she needed to let hopelessness cloud her expression.

"Oh Arceus…" she murmured, letting go and drawing back while shaking her head slowly in disbelief. "So you don't know anything…nothing at all. I see." She dropped to her knees and placed a shaky hand over her eyes. "I-I s-see. So there's nothing I can do from here, huh…"

"…I don't get it," Piff finally said as she struggled to restrain a sob. "Why do you want to change the world so badly?"

"I-"

"Your real reason," he cut in softly, crouching before her. Cynthia froze before stiffly looking into his eyes. Thin silvery trails were running down her cheeks and her breathing hitched as he extended a hanky. "It's alright if you don't want to say it…but Mom always said that problems become a whole lot easier when they're shared."

The girl sniffed before taking the cloth moodily. "My younger sister's only got four months left to live."

Johnny winced. "Straight to the point."

"She's been sickly since birth and my family's tried everything to help her," Cynthia continued quietly. "Nothing worked. We're not even sure of what she has. Some doctors claimed it's a rare sort of cancer while others reeled out unpronounceable diseases. I can't help but feel guilty for living each time I look at her. Even so…she still smiles at me and tells me not to worry, pushing me to do things I couldn't even imagine myself doing! So when I started my journey, I promised her that I'd take her with me. I want her to see the world with me and everything it's got to offer."

"So you need those orbs because…"

"If the Creation Trio can bend natural laws, creating unflawed little girls shouldn't be so hard, right?" Cynthia mumbled and smiled dejectedly. "Haha…I must sound pretty pathetic at this point."

Piff scratched his cheek as he tore his gaze from her. "Well…you must've done a lot of research then."

"But I hit a dead end at every turn," she chipped in bitterly. "And when I finally find myself a good lead, I run into an amnesiac stranger who has no business listening to my problems." She closed her eyes and chuckled. "I'm sorry, Coliot. I'm wasting your time a-and I understand now that there's nothing you could do to help. Thanks anyway for listening."

"…You're weird."

A hand rested atop her head and squeezed a bit, earning a wince of discomfort.

"What're you doing-"

"All that fuss about ending world-hunger or whatever was just to cover for your own selfish reasons," he remarked and looked straight into her grey eyes. "Fessing up wasn't so hard, was it?"

The girl tried to brush off his hand. "Don't get me wrong, changing the world will certainly come once my sister's healed. And it's not like my confession actually helped. If anything, I'm in more of a hole than I'll ever be. I've done all I could to find those stones so I'm perfectly justified to give up."

"And then what?" Piff asked thoughtfully, sitting down fully and keeping his hand firmly pressed against her crown. "Let your sister die?"

"But what else can I do?" Cynthia asked rhetorically. "I've gone through Canalave's library thrice, went through as many internet seminars on Sinnohvian history as I could possibly understand and squeezed every drop of info I could get from various relics! I'm basically on par with senior archaeologists now!"

"…But there's still one more relic you haven't cracked."

Cynthia jerked towards him. "What? What is it? Where can I find…"

She finally registered the silkiness between her fingers and her grey orbs widened upon realizing that Piff had placed her hand against his head. Purple eyes glimmered semi-mischievously as she winced upon getting pricked by his spikier edges.

"I never told my mom this but lately, I've been getting glimpses of my past," he whispered. "They ain't much to go by but that's where we amnesiacs are special. My brain's like a box. If you can push the right combination and use the right keys, it'll open soon enough."

"B-but….I thought…I mean you didn't look like you wanted to help me."

"To tell you the truth, I would've helped," Piff chuckled and smirked at the surprised expression on her features. "What? Just because I've got a scary mug doesn't mean I'm some monster."

Johnny coughed.

"But I couldn't help you if you didn't give me a good reason to," the boy continued, unabated. "Next time you want help, be sure to ask properly. So…"

He drew her forward, jamming their foreheads together. "Ask me again."

Cynthia blinked in confusion before swallowing. "I need to find the Lustrous, Adamant and Griseous Orbs to help my dying sister. Can you…" A lump rose in her throat, threatening to stop her incoming words. It wasn't a physical one, though. Piff knew that he was pretty much telling this girl to swallow her pride and plead, something she didn't look capable of doing. But Cynthia's reason was firm and she had already resolved to do anything for the sake of her goal. That was why she grabbed Piff's collar and drew him closer, a determined smirk across her lips to mirror Piff's.

"Will you give me a hand, Coliot?" she asked boldly.

"…"

"…"

The raven-haired trainer pulled back slowly before raising a hand. "Call me Piff."

"That…is a stupid name," Cynthia remarked. Piff glowered for a brief second before brushing it off with a flick of his wild hair.

"Hmph. Least I'm not a crybaby."

"Hey! Don't think you're all that just because you saw me at my weakest then!" she roared, making Piff smirk. Pouting, Cynthia crossed her arms and huffed. "Whatever! So I'll be following you while you remember your past."

"Eh?!" Piff and Johnny barked. "Why?!"

"Zoey promised me an explanation, remember? And what if I'm unreachable by the time you remember something crucial?" Cynthia said smugly. "Or what if you forget or take too long? You'll need someone to hurry you up and that's what I'll be doing."

"Just a minute! You can't rush memories-"

"Then you'd better get started, buster!" Cynthia snapped, shoving a finger against the bridge of his nose. "We've only got four months, during which you're expected to cough up some precious info, get the orbs and help my sister."

Piff sweatdropped. "Y-you really love your sister, ne…"

"Duh!" she replied and placed her hands on her hips, facing the world with a cocky smile. To Piff's shock and Johnny's exasperation, she cupped her hands over her mouth and yelled, "WATCH OUT WORLD! CYNTHIA'S REIGN OF TERROR STARTS NOW! HAHAHAHAHA!"

_Creepy,_ Piff deadpanned. "Anyways, Johnny and I are off to Oreburgh City for our first gym badge. Don't slow me down."

"Your wish is my command, M-A-S-T-E-R!" she snickered, watching him go. "Um, Piff."

"What?"

"Oreburgh's that way," she chimed, pointing in the complete opposite direction. Piff bit back a hiss and looked up, seeing the clear sign that evidenced her statement.

"Dude, can you read?" Johnny remarked.

"Zip it or I'm selling you to the flea market," Piff grumbled, marching past Cynthia and grabbing her hand before dragging her along with them.

"By the way," the girl asked. "Is it me or where you talking with your Chimchar?"

"It's Johnny," Johnny stated.

"It's a long story. Basically, I think I can talk to Pokémon."

"Ha, like I'd believe that. So all those times you were cursing something, it was actually the Chimchar?"

"Johnny!"

"Yeah. He's got a terrible sense of humour and needs to get his mouth rinsed."

"Hey!"

"Strange. Chimchar aren't very smart Pokémon to begin with. For you to establish communication with this guy shows just how special-or crazy- you must be! I mean, it's a freaking Chimchar you're talking to!"

"Take that back, cunt! And I said the name's Johnny!"

"He can be a pain in the butt though. You should've heard what he told the Nurse at Sandgem the other day."

"Then you've got a handful. After all I've seen today, he's powerful but he needs to rein his behaviour in or he could end up causing you trouble."

"I'm banned from Jubilife's PC! How much more trouble could he get me in?"

"Hey, meatbags! I'm right here you know!"

"What's his name anyways?"

"Johnny Firebottoms."

"God, thank you, Piff. At least now she'll-"

"Pfft. That's a silly name."

Johnny snapped. "DAMMIT BITCH!" he roared from the top of Piff's head, looking straight into her eyes. "YOU THINK MY NAME'S STUPID, HUH?! WELL YOU CAN TAKE YOUR THOUGHTS AND SHOVE IT UP PIFF'S ASS, WHORE! NOW WATCH YOUR MOUTH AND GIMME SOME RESPECT OR I'LL BITCH-SMACK YOUR BLONDE ASS TO CELESTIC TOWN AND BACK, YOU HEAR ME! IF YOU GOT A PROBLEM WITH YOUR HELPER'S POKÉMON JUST CUZ THEY WHOOPED YOUR WEAK-ASS TEAM THEN YOU CAN RUN BACK TO WHATEVER POLE YOU LAST STRIPPED ON, FUCKING CUNT!"

The trio remained rooted to their spot for a good three seconds, during which Johnny's words echoed through the relatively serene atmosphere. Piff would've ignored the rant and continued walking. He should've even told Cynthia not to bother paying Johnny that much attention. After all, it's not like she could understand a damn thing he had just said (though he really ought to get on that mouth-rinsing anytime now).

What both of them didn't expect was for their new travel-partner's eyes to widen and narrow angrily.

"PARDON?!" Cynthia roared, nose to nose with the foul-mouthed monkey. "I AIN'T SOME DUMB BROAD YOU ENGAGED IN POKÉPHILIA WITH, YOU PINT-SIZED TICK-MAGNET! NOW I SUGGEST YOU SHUT THAT PISS-HOLE YOU CALL A MOUTH OR I'LL SHOVE **YOU** UP PIFF'S ASS, GOT THAT? AND YOU'RE A MILLION YEARS TOO EARLY TO BE USING BLONDE INSULTS ON ME, YOU DARWINIAN-FAILURE OF A HUMAN PREDECESSOR!"

"I'm not sure whether to be happy I'm out of this fight or creeped that you both are intending to shove something into me," Piff chipped in.

"YOU WANNA GO, MARILYN MONROE?!"

"BRING IT ON, CURIOUS GEORGE!"

"Um, Cynthia-"

"WHAT?!" she screamed, facing Piff with mad eyes. The deadpan boy pointed to Johnny.

"I think you just learned Poké-speak."

The baffled girl tilted her head as his words sunk in. In a heartbeat, her brows shot upwards and she turned stiffly to Johnny who now sported a sleazy, yellow-toothed grin.

"Boo," he said.

"KYAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAHHHHHHHHHHHHH!" 

BAM!

…

"It's weird," Cynthia remarked for the third time as they went through Route 203. "I swear I couldn't understand him a while ago."

Beside her, Piff checked his unconscious Pokémon for any permanent damage. "You didn't have to go all ape on him. You almost broke his neck."

The girl pouted, utterly devoid of remorse. "Tch. I said I was sorry."

"Sorry doesn't cut it!" Johnny snapped, coming to immediately only to relapse with a groan. "Damn…I still can't believe she threw her shoe at me. Boss, let's ditch her somewhere or else I'm gonna die…"

"You'll be fine. Cynthia doesn't bite," Piff replied, pressing a Band-Aid to Johnny's scalp. "In the meantime, Route 203's brimming with trainers like me. Let's hurry and train for the gym leader at Oreburgh."

"Right, right," he signed off, leaping down from his trainer's arms and trotting ahead. "I'd better get rewarded for the shit I'm putting up with."

For the next three hours, Piff and his team battled tirelessly against several trainers and wild Pokémon. Though each opponent was strong in his/her own right, the boy soon discovered that Johnny was rather over-leveled for the area they were in. As such, he dedicated most of his time to training his weaker partner, Wooper. Not that Johnny minded, anyway. In fact, Piff pretty much let him loose to his own devices, leaving him to torch anything he deemed burnable which included, but were not limited to: grass, flowers, rocks, trees, Starly, Bidoof, several hats belonging to Youngster trainers, skirts of unfortunate Lasses and, in one case, whole people themselves (it was a miracle no one actually got hurt).

It was inevitable when an odd trainer would chase Johnny back to his trainer and demand a rage match. It was good training for Wooper and rather convenient for Piff as he didn't have to go out of his way to find someone willing to battle. And in the off-chance that Wooper seemed overpowered, he'd just recall the Pokémon and let Johnny do the rest. It didn't take too long before Wooper got noticeably stronger and slightly smarter (_slightly_), being able to sweep three trained Pokémon in succession after some time.

Progress was definitely showing. But it was slow. Painfully so and Piff soon found himself yawning after beating the 30th trainer on that road.

"I'm surprised," Cynthia commented as he sprayed a bottle of potion on his Pokémon. "Usually, I'd be expecting a couple of losses along the way but you've gone through 30 battles without losing a single round."

"What can I say? We're just plain awesome," Piff replied, rubbing his chin and sparkling proudly again. "But it's also because I knew Wooper's limits. So long as I kept switching between them during battles, they wouldn't take so much damage that they'd faint immediately. It's a strategy my Mom told me about."

"A basic one at that," Cynthia chipped in spitefully. "Trainers only use it when they want to train their weaker Pokémon. It usually involves sending the intended Pokémon against an opponent they obviously can't beat. Have 'em dance for a while and then switch with a stronger member of the team. That way, the weak member will still get tons of experience when the opponent is beaten. Personally, I'd just buy an Experience Sharer- HEY! Wake up!"

Piff, who by then had dozed off, straightened up and yawned. "Sorry. It's just hard to work up some enthusiasm when I pretty much spent it cheering you up and training my Pokémon. And…it's sooooooooo hot."

The blonde face-palmed as Piff and his Pokémon stretched fully against the ground. "What're you guys doing?"

"Mid-afternoon power nap," the boy chirped, pulling his headband over his eyes. "We've gotta recharge. You should do it too, Cynthia. Those dark circles are getting a bit noticeable."

"Die, shitty brat," she hissed, stomping over to him. "You can't sleep now! Time's wasting!"

"Hmmm…."

Her hands gripped his arm and tugged. "Four months, remember? We can't…afford…to waste…any…more…HOW MUCH DO YOU WEIGH?!"

Piff mumbled some incoherent nonsense before crossing over fully to the land of dreams, leaving Cynthia to growl in exasperation and throw her hands up.

"Fine. Hope you die in your sleep," she grumbled, tapping the screen of her pink Pokétch and starting off down the grassy path. "I'll just trace a way to Oreburgh so our journey can be a whole lot easier and faster! You can thank me later, okay?"

All she got was a loud snore and she bit back an annoyed groan. Turning her nose up, she wandered away, using the map function on her Pokétch as a guide through the tree-filled route. For safety reasons, Gible was called to the fore and together, they traced their way through several windy paths before bursting out into an open field. The area was sparsely populated, something Cynthia was thankful for since she wasn't feeling up to it to go on a battling spree like her male counterpart.

"That guy," she growled, clenching her fists. "You'd think he'd be more fired up to help me after that utterly-shonen speech of his! Yet there he is, snoozing about with his Pokémon while I, the girl, maps out a route for him!"

Gible sweatdropped as his trainer suddenly kicked a tree, inadvertently shaking down a flurry of leaves.

"Hmph. Calm down, Cynthia," she told herself, dusting her sweater off. "This is to be expected, anyway. It's only logical that I'll just have to put up with a few inconveniences on my part. And the idiot has worked pretty hard today. Cut him some slaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaack-OOF!"

In her moment of self-ranting, the oblivious blonde failed to notice a sloping ledge that led right into a cave just ahead and in no time at all, Gible was staring down at the cursing girl on the ground four feet below.

"Damn it!" Cynthia hissed, spitting out dirt. Her luck today was undeniably bad and the only thing she was grateful for was that Piff wasn't around to laugh at her dirtied figure. Coupled with the bruised knee and the mile-high rip in her skirt, Cynthia might as well have drowned in embarrassment.

A twig snapped.

"Gible?" She sat up quickly, brushing hair out of her eyes. "Where'd you go?"

The little Pokémon's bark caught her ears and she looked up to see the dragon sliding down after her. His big eyes, however, were fixed ahead of her, giving off a fiercely protective edge. Cynthia followed his gaze…

And found herself staring into soulless grey eyes that mirrored her own. Her fingers finally registered the dark stickiness on the ground and the staleness in the air and slowly, her own eyes widened as she took in the full sight ahead of her.

The sight of a corpse hung from the cave's ceiling.

* * *

_Unknown location. Somewhere in Northern Sinnoh._

In the ever-expanding hallways with its white-washed walls, several figures darted in and out of the doors lining the walls, each one either jotting down notes feverishly or carrying strange items from place to place or simply engaging in talks with their equally hurrying colleagues. Once or twice, an automated trolley would roll by, bearing all manner massive cargo, some rightfully labelled with either words of caution or susceptibility to breakage if pushed carelessly.

Yes, to any normal human being, this was a laboratory where various ideas evolved into hypotheses and further manifested as experiments.

Unfortunately, this vast laboratory was neither authorized by Sinnoh's government nor did it belong to a legal private company. That much was apparent when one particular balding scientist underwent his retina scan, opened the large steel doors and stepped into the sterilized dome-shaped hall where a massive tank lay dead-center with various steel cables and pipes darting in and out of the triple-reinforced industrial arclite, a transparent substance unique to Sinnoh and two times harder than solid diamond.

The tank itself was filled to the brim with a glowing fluid-like substance, casting a sickly green hue over the entire hall.

And within it lay a frail human figure with bleached-white hair and chains attached to his arms and feet. He didn't look so much as bothered since his sunken eyes were closed and his breathing was even.

This person was alive, that much was certain. He was merely in stasis, found and kept that way for almost a hundred years.

"Todd Machina Illustrious," the bearded scientist called out, as if trying to rouse the human from his ocean-deep slumber by the mere sound of his name. "For how long will you be a waste of space here?"

"Oh my," came the reply from a railed platform. The scientist looked up and narrowed his eyes upon seeing the blue-haired man leaning carelessly over the railing and staring placidly at the tank. "If I didn't know any better, I'd say you're getting frustrated with the subject, Professor Nanaba."

"Commander Saturn," Nanaba addressed tightly, standing straighter. "I was merely growing impatient since all our attempts at awakening him have failed."

"With your limited knowledge on the subject itself, why am I not surprised?"

Nanaba glared at the sarcastic remark but held his tongue and placed a palm on the tank. "I suppose you have some clue as to why he remains in stasis, Commander?"

"No idea," Saturn replied lazily, toying with the pointy spikes of his overly-styled hair. "Lord Cyrus had tactfully obtained him from those government scientists years ago, stating that he'd be very useful as a Plan B in the later future. I'm just following through with that. But we won't get anywhere until we open this present he left us with. That's why you must try harder to awaken him."

"Sir, we have tried every non-risky method we could possibly theorize! In all my years of biological research and experimentation, this is the first time I've seen any human survive this long in stasis! His health may be compromised if we decide to go with our riskier hypotheses."

Saturn inspected his nails. Filed to precision, just the way he liked them. "Then take the plunge, Nanaba. We all do a little risk-taking once in our lives; some later than others. Now it's your move."

"But-"

Saturn held up a finger, silencing him. "However, remember that if the subject indeed dies, your life and that of every other chemical-sniffing geek in this complex are forfeit. Now then, I have to oversee construction of our branches in western Sinnoh. Do try and get the job done, Professor Nanaba or I daresay your title of Jhoto's greatest biologist may very well be smeared in the dirt. I bid you farewell." He smiled. "And good luck."

Nanaba waited until Saturn had truly left the hall before letting out a frustrated roar and slamming both hands against the tank. He faced Todd's sleeping form with eyes full of hatred and malice and wished he could just rip his white-haired head off and Saturn's disgusting smile along with it.

"I don't see what the fools of Team Galactic want with you but rest assured," he growled acidly. "You will wake up to this slowly-rotting world. I swear it on my life and the lives of my subordinates in this stark white hell-hole."

More resolved than ever before, he turned away from the tank and walked back to the exit, lab-coat swishing behind him. The doors slammed shut with a heavy boom and all was silent in the glowing hall once more.

And as if content with the lack of disturbances, Todd's shriveled lips curved upwards in a perfect U.

* * *

**Author's Corner.**

Just a quick apology in case Cynthia seems OOC. Then again, she's 15 and just started out as a trainer. I doubt she'd start off as the calm, collected, sexy beast of a champion we all know and love!


	7. Everyday Events!

**ACT V: EVERYDAY EVENTS.**

* * *

_White-washed nothingness and harrowing silence. Occasional glimpses of the world beyond the glass walls. Pitch black darkness otherwise._

_These were his daily routine, the routines of the Monster with Deep Red Eyes. No…"Daily" wasn't correct since he had no sense of time at all. That was his brother's department, overseeing boring things like history and whatnot._

_But he too was also bored of his own job, that of overseeing space and planetary evolution. Not that he hated space or anything. Space was silent, ever-expanding and long-suffering. It was faithful enough to deal with someone as difficult as its short-tempered master. It was like that substance all living things needed to survive besides food and air. What was it again?_

_Water. Yes…water. The Monster with Deep Red Eyes lowered his eyelids and visualized the cool liquid lapping at his legs and waist. He could almost feel the waves crashing against his torso, laughing up at his chin and willing him to take a nice long dip._

_Ah, his throat was getting scratchy again. Thirst, maybe? Thirst for a drink? A companion? A friend, perhaps?_

_But alas, all he could see upon opening his eyes was the endless space he was assigned to rule, with its pearl-shaped stars and faint borealis._

_He should've gone back into his millennial slumber after that. He should've yawned and closed his eyes, curling into his warm ball and dreaming of what it'd be like for him to grasp friendly hands and laugh like all of Arceus's creations did._

_But something was in his space. Something he'd rather not wish to see, considering how badly it stood out against his clean backdrop like an irremovable blood-stain._

_She stood before him like an ant would to an elephant, humming, tilting and smiling her slice-of-melon smile that would've put any joker to shame._

_The Little Blonde Girl with Equally Red Eyes met his disdainful scowl and smiled wider._

_"How goes your monotonous life, big brother?"_

* * *

_Oreburgh City._

"Here at last!" Piff declared, coming out of the dank tunnel that acted as the city's gate. Turning, he gave his perky smile to Cynthia, hoping to cheer her up. "Let's find a place to rest. You've been pretty out of it for a while now."

That was putting it lightly. Gible had literally bitten Piff into waking up and it had taken no less than an thirty minutes to get an utterly hysteric Cynthia to calm down. Where she had gone and what she had seen were kept under tight lips as she was too jittery at the time to even speak. Johnny suggested mid-afternoon PMS. Piff suspected otherwise.

So they took it easy from there, following the route Cynthia had mapped out. Oddly enough, she made a big deal of sticking to the left side of the path and avoiding any ledges or caves. The way her face had lost all colour at the sight of the tunnel leading to Oreburgh was more than enough reason to heighten the boy's suspicions- she had practically hung from his arm the entire way.

"The PC's that way," Piff remarked, pointing over to the red-roofed building standing above every other building in the small city. "Come on."

The walk to the center was short. Dropping their Pokémon off at the Nurse's counter took even shorter and in a minute, Piff was lying flat on his back against the bed.

_"I'm sorry but we only have one room with a single bed left,"_ he murmured, reciting the words of the apologetic Nurse Joy. "_"You could always share, ne?"_ Riiiiight."

Cynthia remained silent, staring out the window and fiddling with a stray lock of golden hair.

"Now's a good time as any to tell me what's wrong," the boy stated, sitting up. "Remember what I said about problem's being easier when they're shared."

The rotten smell was still fresh on her nostrils as Cynthia faced him. Her lips parted, words were bubbling up her throat and she was ready to spill everything she knew. But that was the problem; she had always been ready to tell him, ever since she had laid eyes on that corpse.

She couldn't say it.

No matter how hard she tried, the words wouldn't come out. Something else had happened in that cave. She had seen something hovering in the shadows, soaked in crimson and staring back at her with placid blue eyes.

"Don't tell," it had ordered. And like that, she was stuck with a problem she couldn't let out.

"Sorry," she murmured, looking away again. "But it's nothing. I'll be fine." She flashed him a smile, one that made Piff's body jolt with slight recognition. "Why don't we find that gym or something! I'm sure you're absolutely dying to meet the gym leader!"

Piff regarded her for a brief moment before shrugging and smiling back. "Yeah, let's do that. I'd better know my opponent first before sending him crying when I beat his Pokémon!"

"Hmph. Cocky, aren't we?"

"Confident," Piff replied, tossing his jacket back on. "Let's go!"

Piff had been to Oreburgh once, back when he was ten and on a school field trip to the mines. As such, the gritty, charcoal-scented air felt somewhat welcoming, if not overly familiar. This little industrial city always carried a comfortable air about itself, contrasting with the busy people and Pokémon darting up and down the gravel-covered road. Back then, on the field trip, Piff remembered getting lost in one of the mines with a handful of classmates, a situation more frustrating than dire given the constant whining each of his classmates made. As memory recalled, they ran into a handful of wild Onix and in the end, Piff had saved them when the going got rough, going so far as to actually _hurl_ one into its cohorts.

Though he had come out with a nosebleed, bloodied fists and a twisted ankle, he still remembered giving them a reassuring smile and putting up a peace-sign, telling them it was okay.

It wasn't that surprising when they looked back at him like they would a monster and kept their distance but it had still hurt nonetheless.

"Hey, Piff! Are you listening?"

The ravenette stopped, looking over his shoulder at the pouting girl behind him. "Hm?"

Cynthia jerked an exasperated thumb in the left direction. "The gym's that way, airhead."

She was right. A gym leader had found Piff's little group and taken them there to meet their worried teachers.

"You've suddenly gone spacey," Cynthia observed aloud, tapping on his head obnoxiously from behind. "Better not let that get the best of you when you see Gym Leader Roark."

Piff blinked. "Roark?"

"Yeah. The Oreburgh Rock-training Gym Leader," she chirped informatively. "Roark's pretty young. He recently snagged the position after the old gym leader retired to continue his journey. I looked him up on the Pokémon League Guide while you dropped your Pokémon off at the counter."

"Oh?"

They came to a slow halt at the dome-shaped building with the words "GYM" strewn across its walls. The building had gotten a neat paint job but otherwise remained unchanged in Piff's eyes.

"If he got the position of gym leader and he's young then it means he's strong." Piff clenched a fist. "I wanna fight him already. This is gonna be-"

The door slid open and a girl in a black hoodie stepped out, wincing a bit as the heavy sunlight slapped her across the face. She pulled her hood closer over her head and turned in the direction of the PC, freezing as she came face to face with the raven-haired boy.

Piff was the first to react, nearly shouting in realization. "It's you!"

When the girl raised her head, parting her jet black bangs and revealing her deep red eyes, Cynthia got taken aback by the hardness of her scowl.

And the splotches of blood on her cheek.

"Nina, it's me, Piff! Remember me?" the boy continued, obviously not seeing the blood stains yet. Nina swiped a sleeve over her cheek before briefly giving him a glance. Her eyes dipped back to her bright pink boots.

"Oh, it's you."

"What's with that bored tone," Piff deadpanned before stepping back and giving her a once-over. "You must've fought the gym leader, right? Wow, you're pretty fast! Did you win? Did you?"

Cynthia was very sure she caught Nina's subtle eye-roll and annoyed huff. "Of course I won. Now if you'll excuse me, I have to get my Pokémon over to the PC. Not that they'll need much taking care of."

Her eyes certainly seemed harder as she looked back at the gym. Call it woman's intuition but Cynthia felt rather strange vibes coming from this girl. Her posture looked a bit too rigid and her fingers were twitching occasionally. That, and her eyes looked rather dead despite their vibrant red glow. Almost like the corpse back in the cave…no, more like the blue-eyed figure she had seen.

By the time Cynthia snapped out of her thoughts, Nina was already passing by her and she only registered the girl's passing gaze- glare- when she felt a sudden chill in her spine. Piff's head must've been filled with solid bricks as he deemed it fit to grab the fluttering ends of Nina's white scarf, silly grin plastered on his narrow face.

"Hey, hey, at least lemme congratulate you on your win! Besides, you can't just leave a fellow trainer without coughing up some advice!" he said coyly, virtually blind to the razor-sharp edge in Nina's eyes (on a side note, Cynthia never knew how well eyes could speak volumes until she saw Nina's). "Gimme a few tips, yeah? Is the gym leader really strong?"

This…was weird. That was all Cynthia could observe from the one-sided interaction between these two. To a normal observer, it would've looked like two trainers simply conversing (or in this case, one trainer starting to annoy the hell out of the other trainer) but in Cynthia's eyes, this was different.

For one thing, Piff's accent had switched almost completely, going from relatively normal mainland Sinnohvian to its stark country-side counterpart aka Twinleaf-centric. It was almost as if he was talking to a sibling. More importantly, though Nina's words were brief and heavily-coated, the unmistakable accent was there. Was she a fellow survivor?!

As if reading her mind, Nina's eyes swiveled over to the blonde, rooting her to the spot. Cynthia stared back, very aware of how constricted her throat felt under Nina's ghostly stare. To her immense relief, the latter turned away and stared into the horizon, undoubtedly sifting through her mind for a valid reply to shake off the creep gripping her scarf.

Her pale-pink lips parted. "If you insist on hearing my opinion…Oreburgh might as well not have a gym leader anymore."

Whatever comfortable air vanished with her seemingly cryptic words, sending various alarm flags up in Cynthia's mind.

Just so she wouldn't reach a level of fear where her teeth would probably be knocking against each other, the blonde squeezed out a laugh. "W-well, you never know!" Frankly, she was unaware of when she had gripped the hem of Piff's jacket. "Let's see for ourselves what the gym's like, Piff!"

And as usual, he didn't get the hint. "Eh? Why? I haven't even introduced you two-"

"Not interested," Nina replied coldly, ripping her scarf out of his hand. "Bye."

True to her words, she was gone like the wind, leaving a baffled Piff and an utterly suspicious Cynthia behind.

"Well…she's grumpy," he remarked, finally addressing the hand holding tightly to his jacket. "Got a problem?"

_Dense idiot!_ "N-no!" Cynthia snapped, letting go and turning to the gym's entrance. "Come on. You're better off seeing Roark's strength in person than hearing it from the Rapidash's mouth."

"Please don't use fire-type pokémon names in idiomatic sentences. It makes my throat prickly," he replied mock-politely, reverting to mainland Sinnohvian.

"You chose to switch accents now?!" she responded angrily before huffing at his confused stare. "Whatever! Let's just check on Roark, go back to the PC and get our Pokémon-"

The doors flew open so fast that Cynthia's face would've been thoroughly flattened had she taken another step. A bespectacled young man with cordovan-red hair rushed out sweating and panting like he had just run the entire length of eastern Sinnoh.

Cynthia recognized him right away. "Roark?"

"Please move!" he cried, pushing past her roughly. There was a rather sickly smell clinging to him and Piff's eyes widened upon seeing the horrified expression on the man's face. Before he could stop him, Roark had already brushed past, holding an oddly-soaked Pokéball to his chest.

"Hey! Wait!" the boy cried, making to follow him when he made the mistake of looking down at his jacket.

Blood.

He heard Cynthia's short yelp behind from behind and turned, staring face to face with her blood-soaked sweater where Roark had bumped against her. Now Piff was pretty used to such a sight, given the often gruesome fights he had been in back in his younger days but he could tell from Cynthia's expression of shock that the amount on them looked rather unhealthy.

Thankfully, it wasn't theirs and Roark had no visible injuries whatsoever, given how fast he was running at least. "But if it's not ours then…"

Without further ado he grabbed Cynthia's arm and took off after Roark's disappearing figure, hoping that they weren't too late.

Unfortunately, they were.

"I'm sorry, Roark," were the nurse's words as they rushed through the PC's doors. Piff's feet ground to an abrupt halt as they laid eyes on the ghastly-disfigured form of a dinosaur-looking Pokémon lying rock-still in the centre of the lobby floor. Its injuries were so gruesome that several younger trainers must've gone into shock, given the rigid silence in the air. One person had to turn away, slapping a palm over his lips to hold back the rushing bile.

In other words, the fate of the Rampardos lying on the floor was blatantly obvious.

"He passed on long before you reached here," the woman continued, clearly avoiding the gym leader's hollow stare. In reply, Roark turned back to the corpse of his Pokémon and sank on one knee, taking its large head in his hands and burying his face into its rough, stone-cold hide.

Roark screamed.

…

"It's just one fucking situation after another!"

"George! Watch your language!"

The young couple bickered a bit before quieting down once they realized that their voices were growing too loud. Sitting on the park bench a few feet away, Piff toyed with the Pokéballs in his hands while Cynthia merely sat on the opposite side, skimming through a newspaper.

"Sorry," the man called George mumbled, riffling through his brown hair. "It's just that I ain't used to this kinda scenario, ya know? Oreburgh used to be much more peaceful…no murders, no accidents, no robberies, hell, not even purse snatching! But now we've got dead trainers turning up at our city gates and our gym leader's Pokémon suddenly gets offed when a match turns nasty! Damn it…To make matters worse, I heard that a portion of the mines collapsed two days ago when a bunch of Rhydon migrated here underground. Killed a good lot of our guys."

"Their families…" the woman beside him murmured apologetically, gripping tighter on his arm. "George…I'm scared."

The brunette scoffed and ruffled his girlfriend's hair. "We won't stay here too long. Sinnoh might be going to hell slowly but we've got each other and our Pokémon. Besides, I'm protecting you, remember? I'd gladly fight off any homicidal Pokémon for you."

"George…"

A short noise from behind had them turning their heads to look at the source. Piff had gotten up roughly and was grinding one foot against the ground, deep in thought. One look at his sour expression and the couple quietly relocated to another seat, preferably far away.

"I don't get it," Cynthia said, checking the pages. "Not even Sinnoh's Daily covers anything about these murders… and it sounds like they've been going on for a while. There's nothing on the Oreburgh Mines' collapse either."

"…You saw one, didn't you?"

Cynthia looked up, confusion plastered on her face. "Hm?"

Piff glanced over his shoulder, scrutinizing her face. "You saw a body in one of the caves on the way here, right?"

The blonde went still for a moment before averting her gaze like a scolded child. Piff sighed.

"I understand if you didn't wanna talk about it," he said, adjusting his headband and giving her a small sympathetic smile. "It must've been pretty sick."

"Don't remind me." She folded the paper and leaned forward. "You're not angry?"

Piff tilted his head. "Uh, no? Like I said, you were probably too scared and clammed up on reflex." His lips curved into a mocking smile. "Jeez, you look like a tough girl but your insides might as well be jelly."

"Shut up!" Cynthia snapped, tossing the wadded up newspaper at his face. It was a direct hit but Piff didn't seem at all fazed, only stumbling back to catch himself from tripping over a bench. The girl stood up, dusted her skirt and placed a hand on her hip. "So what'll you do now? I doubt Roark's in a psychological position to battle now. I suggest we head over to Eterna-"

"I'm staying here."

Cynthia bit back the rest of her words and an acidic scowl replaced her stunned expression in a heartbeat. "You saw Roark, didn't you? He might as well have lost his own mother again given the state he was in when we left! What're you going to do? Walk up to him, tap his shoulder and go "Hey Roark! I'm terribly sorry your Rampardos died and all, by the way, do you wanna battle?" I personally believe you'll walk out badgeless and with a bloody nose to boot after that and- ARCEUS DAMMIT, PIFF! WILL YOU STOP WALKING AWAY WHEN I'M IN THE MIDDLE OF A SENTENCE?!"

"Sorry!" Piff yelled back, already a good distance away. "I'm just going to talk to Roark for a bit!"

"Are you deaf?! I told you he's not in the right mind to listen to a word you said!" Cynthia screamed, going after him. "Hey, at least slow down! Don't leave me hanging…"

Too late. Piff was far too fast and too far gone for her to catch up to and soon enough, it was just her on the gravelly road. Alone.

Or so she had thought until her grey eyes caught the sight of a black hoodie turning a corner.

…

_Oreburgh Gym._

"Somehow I agree with the blondie," Johnny remarked as he and his trainer read the sign on the locked doors.

CLOSED TILL FURTHER NOTICE.

"Then we'll just have to find him," Piff stated firmly, turning around.

"Why d'you wanna battle this guy so much?" Johnny asked curiously. "I'm pretty sure there's other gym leaders 'round here."

The ravenette continued walking as Roark's crying image flashed through his mind. "It had to be him. I always wanted my first gym battle to be against a guy like him."

"Very enlightening," the Chimchar remarked sarcastically.

"I came here once on a field trip with my class. Some of us got lost back in the mines, yours truly included. We ran into a group of angry Onix and I fought them off to protect my classmates."

"After seeing your thing with the Rhydon, I ain't surprised."

"Heh. Anyway, I was pretty injured by the time we got rescued by the old gym leader then and believe it or not, Roark was the gym trainer who got me fixed up at the hospital. I didn't remember him until now."

Johnny hummed empathically before yawning. "I gotta say though, that doesn't make much of a difference. Gratitude can only get you so far. Plus you ain't no psychologist to me. If anything, you might piss the poor guy off more if you just barge back into his life and try to cheer him up."

"I've gotta try at least." _Plus, I owe him a lot more,_ Piff added, smiling to himself. Back then, his classmates had called him a monster and the gym leader obviously hadn't believed him when he claimed to have single-handedly fought the Onix off. But one teenager had placed a hand on his shoulder and smiled at him. Piff remembered those cordovan eyes hidden behind thin-rimmed glasses and the reassuring words he had uttered.

"_Well if you did save them then good for you. That makes you awesome in my book, kid. Come on, you look like you could use a couple of bandages."_

"_Y-you believe me?" the young boy had stuttered, eyes wide and blood trailing down his nose. Roark hadn't stopped giggling at how silly he looked. "You think I'm not a monster?"_

"_Monster? You? No way," Roark had replied, hefting him unto his shoulders. "You're a hero, kiddo. Be proud of yourself."_

Piff stopped at the Pokémon Center. "I never thanked him."

At that moment, the doors slid open and Piff was now facing the broken man to whom he was grateful for. The first stranger who didn't call him a monster.

"Roark," he called, making the man raise his head and finally stare. His grief was almost visible, permeating the air with such an intensity that Johnny could've sworn the environment was freezing over. Piff felt it too but stood firm, giving the man time to recognize him. Gradually, it dawned on the man that he had seen this bright-eyed boy before and his eyes flickered before growing dull and hollow again.

"Coliot…Rosewood?" he asked, adjusting his glasses and standing straighter, undoubtedly trying to put up a mature face. Some things never changed.

"Piff," Piff corrected, pocketing his hands.

Roark started for a second before smiling a bit. "Yeah, sorry. Least I got your other name right."

"It's not something people'd forget in a hurry," Piff chuckled before flashing his own smile back. "So I heard what happened."

The gym leader lowered his gaze. "Haha…yeah. Things got a little out of hand so I had to shut down the gym for a bit. From the looks of it, you must be a trainer now. Congratulations… I suppose you wandered here for your first gym badge, eh? Just…like I promised…"

Johnny blinked. "Promised? Oi, Piff, what's he talking about?"

"I still remember what you said that day when we left the hospital," Piff said, ignoring Johnny for the time being. "When I told you to show me your Pokémon."

"As memory recalls, I called out… Rampardos…" Roark stated softly. "He was still a Cranidos then."

"Yeah. He was very protective. Almost bit me when I tried to touch him."

Both chuckled briefly before staring back at each other.

"Hey, Piff…are you still following that dream of yours?" Roark asked lightly.

Piff's smirk softened till it became a straight emotionless line. "Yeah. I'm going to be the best Water-type trainer in the world and your Rampardos was to be my first major opponent. You said it yourself."

"That when you're older, let me test your strength. Greatest water-type trainer vs Greatest Rock-type trainer, right?"

Roark pushed up his glasses again, although this time, his shaky hand remained on his face.

"Piff, I lost my best friend and starting Pokémon. The first and strongest Rock-type that I ever had. And I haven't even spent up to a month as gym leader in this town."

"Well…I started with a fire-type."

Roark's eyes narrowed (Johnny's as well but the Chimchar decided to give Piff the flaming axe some other time). "A-are you trying to make a joke out of this, Piff? Do you even understand how I feel right now? Look at me! Two weeks in and I've already had my own partner killed because of my inexperience and lack of good judgement! I'm no trainer, Piff! I might as well have killed Rampardos with my own two hands when I allowed him to keep fighting…when I refused to back down even when the odds were glaringly stacked against us!"

_Wait a minute_, Johnny observed as Roark's voice grew steadily higher_. Isn't he…spilling his guts?_

Piff's almost nonchalant attitude confirmed it. "Yeah…so?"

"So…SO?!"

Johnny wobbled as his living platform was slammed against a wall, held by his collar.

"You haven't lost a Pokémon before, have you?!" Roark roared hotly, struggling with his own inner turmoil. "Do you know what it feels like to have your loved ones killed? Rampardos wasn't some pet I kept on a leash! We were virtually brothers! I'm this close to jumping off a cliff, you know! He and I did everything together… Without him, I don't know what I'll do with myself now! How can I be a Gym Leader, Oreburgh's primary protector, when I can't do something as simple as knowing my own Pokémon's limits?! Do you understand, Piff! The moment Rampardos died…I lost everything."

Finally, the tears fell in small trails as Roark's grip loosened considerably.

"But I guess you wouldn't know," he continued in an even voice, reining his emotions back in. "You haven't lost a loved one before. Hmph, I suppose you were insinuating that we both failed in our chosen fields right from the start. I lose my rock-type and you start with a fire-type, a clear signal of doom if I ever saw one."

The next few seconds were spent in silence as Roark distanced himself and readjusted his glasses again. The small city's chapel began to ring its bells as the clock struck 5PM, echoing softly and taking its fill of the thoughtful silence.

"I appreciate that you cared enough to make me spill my feelings," Roark added. "After all, a problem shared becomes a whole lot easier. However, I'm starting to doubt that. Rampardos won't come back, that much I'm matured enough to realize and admit. But I doubt I can readily accept it and move on. I will…but…it will just take some time."

He turned in the direction of the gym. "I'll battle you today, Piff. I still have some other Pokémon on hand and though not they're not Rampardos or even at his level, they should still give you a good fight. Win or lose, I'm resigning and taking an indefinite break from this worthless dream of mine."

A hand gripped his shoulder and Roark cast it a disinterested look.

"Keep your badge. Or give it to someone else. I didn't come here to battle some broken nerd or his late Rampardos. I came here to battle Roark, Man of Stone, rising Rock-type master and my self-appointed mentor."

Roark froze as Piff looked him in the eye with hard purple orbs.

"Grieve, Roark. You lost your best friend and I understand completely that you need time to accept that. I may not be that same stupid 10 year old whose challenge you accepted but we still made a promise, one I intend to keep no matter how long it takes. So feel free to turn on the waterworks and mourn your Rampardos. And when you're done, when you're finally ready to pursue your dream once more, gimme a call."

Intense purple burned into stunned cordovan before tearing away as Piff walked past Roark.

"By the way, just 'cause I got a fire-type starter doesn't mean my journey will go up in flames. That's one thing I now intend to prove to you and the rest of the world."

"What are you saying, Piff? That you care more about an even battle than the pain your opponent went through to get to that state of mind?!"

"You're not listening, Roark!" Piff growled. It was Roark's turn to be surprised as Piff grabbed his own collar and dragged him down to his eye level. "Why do you love rocks? Tell me!"

"What sort of question is that-"

Johnny raised a flaming finger and Roark huffed in annoyance.

"They're sturdy, unchangeable and can even be unbreakable. They can brave whatever fiery storm rolls by without so much as cracking and eventually form mountains."

"That's the sort of person you are!" Piff snapped, pushing him back. "Be sturdy. Don't break. Grieve. Move on. Brave whatever shit life tosses at you and become a mountain. That's what Rampardos would want, isn't it?"

"…"

With a sigh, Piff spun on his heel and started off. "I've said enough, Roark. I'm truly sorry to hear about Rampardos and please know that his death was not your fault. I also apologize for my rude approach to cheering you up and I'll completely understand if you leave the gym anyway. I won't like it…but I won't judge you either. Hopefully, we'll meet again on better terms. Bye."

Oh. Hell. No.

This boy couldn't just waltz back into his life at the worst possible time and throw a crap-sack speech on getting himself together (or whatever the hell he was talking about) before waltzing back out just as quickly. Even a shrink could've offered better advice than that and Roark hated those more than anything! Who did Piff think he was? Why did he seem much more matured with every statement he spouted from his motor-mouth? And…why the hell did he make so much sense? Even if his words came out jumbled, Roark saw the right behind every single one of them and his eyes gradually widened as he realized that this boy had clearly overtaken him in the four years between their fated encounter.

"Wait," he called out, stopping Piff in his tracks. "I realize that I am clearly disillusioned by the death of my Pokémon and in my moment of weakness, I must've come across as pathetic. I'm sorry. I'm certainly not fit to be your mentor."

Roark stood straighter now and called in a tone finally level enough to give him that responsible air he once held. "But Piff…if you lose your Pokémon to death…what would _you_ do?"

Johnny immediately felt Piff's countenance still for a moment, as if lost in thought or caught off guard. The boy slowly raised his eyes to look at Johnny, the latter of which simply gave a shrug.

"I'm flattered, kid, but we ain't as close as Rock-boy and his dead dino," the Chimchar mumbled stoically. "Same goes for the Wooper."

It was low but Johnny could've sworn that Piff snorted in disbelief. Nevertheless, he nodded at the blunt truth in the Pokémon's words and looked over his shoulder.

"Well?" Roark asked.

"Hm…I'd probably do something rash," Piff replied, grinning. "Pretty hypocritical, yeah, but I still won't give up on my dream."

The older trainer mulled over the words before nodding and lowering his head. "I see. You can only say that because you're yet to solidify your bond with your Pokémon."

"Yeah. I guess so."

"…I'll think over your words," Roark continued, turning in another direction. "But don't expect a call from me anytime soon."

Piff nodded and together, both young men headed off in opposite directions, one in pursuit of a badge and the other to prepare a befitting exit for his best friend of over eighteen years.

But as both travelled down their separate roads, neither couldn't help but sneak some last words in. Interestingly enough, they both said the exact same thing.

"Thank you."

**…**

_This is bad._

Cynthia's heartbeat spiked.

_What am I doing?_

Her throat had gone dry.

_Damn it! Me and my stupid brain! I should've just kept my mouth shut instead of…_

_Calling._

_Her._

_Out._

"What do you want," Nina asked, her deathly-hoarse tone already pulling Cynthia's heart up to her throat. In the evening sunlight, she looked scarier than usual and- Arceus, her red eyes were absolutely aglow! Yeah, Cynthia really messed up this time. "Or did you just call me over for a staring competition."

There was no impatience in her voice or even a questioning tone. Every word that came out of her mouth was a level, almost deadpan, demand.

Cynthia swallowed and stood her ground. "You…killed Roark's Rampardos, didn't you?"

"Yes. And?"

The blonde gave a start at Nina's lax reply. "And? You can't do that! It's-"

"Wrong?" Nina cut-in, rolling her eyes over to the Starly flying overhead. "The rules permit such things, provided it was unavoidable. In this case, I blame the gym leader's bad judgement. I can assure you that killing your opponent's Pokémon in a fair match warrants no query from the Pokémon League. They said it themselves."

"I know that!" Cynthia retorted and that was the truth. It would be a personal shame for her not to have memorized the contents of the League handbook by now. "But…something tells me you could've changed the outcome of that match without resorting to killing."

Nina's expression remained flat as Cynthia boldly looked her in the eye.

"Your Pokémon clearly must've been over-leveled for Roark to defeat, or am I wrong? But he didn't know this and accepted your challenge anyway. Thinking you were a normal starting trainer running around with Tier-1 babies like every other young trainer in Sinnoh, it was only logical for him to underestimate you and get the beatdown of a lifetime. He must've been stunned into thinking he wasn't trying hard enough and Rampardos must've believed that as well, thus pushing them both into overstepping their natural boundaries. Long story short, Rampardos was killed when Roark told you to give them your best shot. Well?"

The hooded girl finally deemed it fit to roll her eyes back to Cynthia's form, just the slightest bit wider. Was she surprised? Impressed, maybe? Or annoyed? The rest of her face certainly didn't give anything else away and Cynthia was starting to doubt of Nina was even human.

"You have good deduction skills."

Wait…was that a compliment?

"For a blonde."

Scratch that! Nina was certifiably dirt in Cynthia's books now!

Nina's figure now slouched against a lamppost, red eyes fixated on Cynthia's slowly boiling frame. "So what are you going to do? Arrest me? Tell me off? Fine me, maybe? In my defense, detective, I warned Roark when he asked me to go all out. But as a stereotypical man of his rock-brained caliber, his pride wouldn't listen. So I did the honorable thing and gave him the battle he was asking for. I daresay I didn't expect his Rampardos to kick the bucket after one single all-out attack from my Pokémon but I guess that's what makes Roark the lowliest of the Division-1 gym leaders. The end."

Cynthia's shoulders trembled. "…Why…?"

"Hmm?"

The blonde girl raised her head, eyes narrowed hatefully and glistening just the slightest bit with angry tears as Roark's agonised cry made it's way back to her memory. "Why don't you sound the least bit sorry, dammit! You just killed a man's best friend and you stand here like it never even happened? Did you even apologize?!"

"Apologies are unnecessary. I won. He lost. Nothing else matters." Nina looked away. "Besides, saying "I'm sorry" won't bring his Pokémon back."

"Did you see him at the PC?!" Cynthia yelled, nose to nose with the remorseless trainer. "He might as well have lost everything! And you're not even the least bit apologetic? You don't even have a shred of pity for someone who lost a loved one indirectly by your hands?!"

"…No. I do not. His plight is none of my concern. I just came for a badge. Not to be harassed by some self-righteous broad who probably thinks she can change the world or something."

Cynthia froze before gritting her teeth in anger. "You're a monster. A heartless, cold-blooded, power-hungry bitch who should be put as far away from Pokémon as possible. Preferably in hell."

At that, Nina visibly paused. Slowly, her brows dipped and for once, Cynthia had finally coaxed an emotion out of her.

Crap, Nina looked even scarier when she was annoyed. But at that point, Cynthia didn't care. If worst came to worst, she'd fight Nina with her Pokémon, no matter the outcome.

Nina's lips soon parted in a sneer, exposing some of her rather sharp dentures and Cynthia's hand rested on Turtwig's ball, ready. Her eyes were daring Nina to utter those words. The words that would either resort to schooling Nina in a humiliating and utterly satisfying battle or an unpleasant parting with Cynthia's own Pokémon in which case, her position as a trainer would be severely jeopardized.

_Let's take this to the battlefield._

_Why don't you prove it, you dumb blonde?_

_You're all talk. You say I should be put away? Then do it yourself!_

_Battle me!_

Those were the possible comebacks Cynthia was expecting from Nina's parted lips. Her fingers trembled with a mix of anxiety, fear and anticipation as her brain came up with all possible scenarios for the undoubtedly-incoming battle.

So one could imagine her utter shock when something black and hazy escaped Nina's ajar mouth for a brief second. The hooded girl drew back sharply, placing a palm over her mouth and glaring at Cynthia, almost as if she had some secret that had been nearly found out. She quickly turned and wound her scarf over the lower portion of her face before casting Cynthia a passive glance.

"I've said enough for today. It's pointless talking to a Mary-Sue wannabe like you. Go back to that annoying trainer you were clinging to earlier and hopefully, you can have someone to share in your bouts of stupidity."

"Hey!" Cynthia snapped as the hooded girl began to beat a retreat. "I'm not done with you."

"Oh really? Then here's some advice," Nina replied nonchalantly, neither stopping nor even giving her another look. "You're probably going to die very soon at the hands of that blue-eyed serial killer who was responsible for the bodies in the caves. Your chances of survival will only remain healthy as long as you drop the annoying, self-righteous act. _He_ thrives on your insecurity, Cynthia. Remember that."

With that, she stalked off, leaving a dumbfounded Cynthia in her wake. Upon turning a corner, her satchel rustled for a bit before Atria popped out, yawning and stretching her sore little arms.

"There's no such thing as an indoor voice with you human peasants, is there?" she remarked, rubbing her eyes. "Why'd you even talk with a person anyway. Did you finally find interest in something or were you just lonely?"

Nina kept silent, trudging along and only adjusting her scarf tightly over his lips.

Atria tilted her head. "You've reached your daily limit already? Must've been one absurdly long talk with whoever pestered you. Guess it can't be helped. Wake me up when next I'm necessarily needed."

And the Piplup sank back into her bag, closing her eyes and slightly recalling her victorious battle with Roark's Rampardos. It wasn't that she particularly cared for the outcome of that battle since it was sort of expected, given Nina's brutal nature. Atria was just following her own end of the deal.

Her little fist tightened. _So long as I can avenge my herd, I don't care whose blood stains my hands._

…

"There you are!" Piff exclaimed as he caught sight of Cynthia standing shock-still in the middle of the road. "Johnny almost thought you had ditched us when we didn't see you at the PC! The least you could've done was leave a note with Nurse Joy or something- Hey…you look mad. Did something happen-"

"Oh, nothing happened," Cynthia said acerbically, narrowing her eyes. "Now if you hadn't come two seconds earlier, that would've been the exact opposite."

"…Huh?"

Cynthia growled in frustration before shoving Piff aside and stamping towards the PC, calling over her shoulder, "So are you just going to stand there or what?"

Piff didn't know what to say in return so he simply gave Johnny a confused shrug and followed after her.

"Judging by how fast you got back, Roark obviously didn't battle you. If that's so then we're leaving this town," Cynthia stated firmly once he had caught up. "Everything here just seems way too wrong for my liking."

"Forgive me, _your highness_, but it's getting late. Although I wanna leave too, I don't think it's a good idea right now," the boy interjected. "I'm pretty sure I'll be alright but it'd be too dangerous for you, especially when we get to the caves-"

"And why's that?!" she spat, turning around to face him with her eyes lit up in metaphorical flames. "Afraid some Zubat might jump me or something? I might've lost to you once, Piff, but my Pokémon are by no means weak!"

"That's not what I meant!" Piff countered. "Remember what that couple said about dead trainers turning up? I heard there's a serial killer on the loose around here and here's the punch line, all his victims were girls!"

Startled, Cynthia stepped back upon hearing those words. Now that she thought about it…

The fresh corpse resembled one of those blonde Battle Girls who trained fighting types.

All of a sudden, Cynthia felt something drop in the pit of her stomach and she quickly turned away to hide the visible paling of her skin color.

"…I got it," she finally uttered. "We'll leave tomorrow."

"Nice!" Piff cheered, walking ahead of her with a coy smirk. "Guess shock value really works after all."

"Roll over and die, jerk," she hissed, trudging after him.

Unknown to either trainer, a figure swathed in flowing black watched over Oreburgh from the top of its highest building.

He smiled upon zeroing in on Piff and Cynthia. "I've found them."

"Good," the radio receiver attacked to his earlobe beeped. "Collect them both, preferably unharmed though it makes less of a difference. Do whatever you wish with any nuisances."

"Understood~"

And he vanished in a whiff of smoke as the clock struck six, leaving his unsuspecting targets to their own devices for the time being.

Or so he had thought.

The man never knew that Chimchar had astonishingly large visual and auditory perception.

Johnny smirked. Piff jerked Cynthia back and whispered into her ear. Cynthia's grey eyes grew wide for a second before casting towards the building.

Slowly but surely, something akin to inspiration overcame her thoughtful features and she looped her arm around Piff, drawing him close and mirroring the spark in his eyes.

"You two better not be joking, especially since I've got a plan."

* * *

Author's Corner.

Slybill: X and Y's coming out tomorrow! And I'm well enough to be there at the midnight launch! *does happy dance*


End file.
